Ready or Not...

...Here she comes!

Okay, well I'm not in labor just yet.  Not even close, actually, as far as my body goes.  However, my doctor's appointment yesterday did not go quite as I had expected.  I think I was a little overconfident since Scarlett's non stress tests had been going so well, and I had been feeling her moving so much.

I had another growth ultrasound yesterday, and it showed that Scarlett had only grown approximately 5 ounces in 2 weeks.  In those 2 weeks, she dropped from the 22nd to the 12th percentile in weight.

My doctor indicated that although things might still be fine, there is a chance that my placenta is not working correctly, and not giving her the nourishment she needs.  She said it would be safer for the baby to be on the outside where we could ensure that she's getting enough to eat.

The plan is that they will induce me this week!  They will start Cervidil tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 6:00 AM, and probably start Pitocin sometime Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, depending on how much I've progressed.  So chances are, Scarlett's birthday will be on Thursday or Friday, July 11th, or 12th (our wedding anniversary!)

Being induced is about the last thing in the world that I wanted.  I am preparing myself to labor for days with slow progress and long, painful contractions.  With a labor like that, my plan to go without an epidural will probably go out the window (although I'll still try and see how it goes).  I've been warned about the possibility of a c-section if labor doesn't progress quickly enough once they break my water.

My entire pregnancy I've studied natural childbirth and pain management techniques. Although I tried to keep an open mind, I was just pretty confident about how things would go since I had had such a boring pregnancy until a few weeks ago.  I trusted that God would make things happen at the right time, and that He would give me the strength to get through the most painful, exhausting experience of my life.

As it stands now, I have an even greater opportunity to let go and trust Him in the next few days.  There are a lot of different ways this could go.  Up until yesterday, it seems that most of the stories I'd heard about inductions were horror stories.  Labor that lasted for days with almost nothing to show for it.  Labors ending in c-sections.  Painful, long contractions.  However, yesterday people seemed to come out of the woodwork with stories of easy, quick inductions.  Inductions where the Cervidil put them into active labor, and Pitocin was not needed.  Stories where the baby was born 4 hours after Pitocin was started.  As my mom said, people are a lot more likely to share their horror stories than their boring, smooth, pleasant stories.  And while I am still trying to prepare myself for the worst, it is nice to hear that most of these horror stories I've heard are worst-case-scenario stories.

I admit that a lot of the information I studied during this pregnancy was probably a little biased, and anti-medicated birth.  I've read so much about the dangers of labor-inducing drugs, and pain-managing drugs.  I've read all about the needless inductions and even c-sections that doctors schedule for their own convenience.  And yes, there's a chance that this induction is unnecessary.  But as my mom pointed out yesterday, what if it's not?  To me, the chance that this labor and delivery will be long and difficult for me, and possibly stressful for Scarlett, is still better than the risk that she is not getting the nourishment she needs, and that I am putting her in a needlessly dangerous situation.  I know a lot of people consider induction to be a needlessly dangerous situation, but I hope no one feels the need to comment on that here!

I also want to point out that I totally trust my doctor's judgment.  When we were having trouble getting pregnant, I saw 4 different doctors in the span of a few months.  I finally visited my current doctor, and knew she was the perfect doctor for me.  I wrote about it in this post, and even said that I hoped she would be the doctor who delivered my babies someday.  It is so surreal to be at the point where, in a couple of days, she's going to.  I whole-heartedly believed that God led me to this particular doctor at that time, which is evidenced by that post I listed above.  And maybe this is why.  God was looking out for Scarlett even back then.  It gives me chills to think about it.

Anyway, that is where things stand!  I think I needed to write this post to sort through my own feelings about the situation.

And I have to admit, there are definitely some perks to being induced.  As I told Luke last night, I don't have to worry about going into the hospital, thinking I'm in active labor, and then being sent home.  I don't have to worry about my water breaking somewhere embarrassing.  I can check everything off of the to-do list beforehand without being caught off-guard.  We were able to change our schedules beforehand, and find people to fill in for our obligations for the days we will be in the hospital, which has been convenient.  I won't have to worry about not making it to the hospital in time.  I won't have to deal with the mental strain of wondering when I'll go into labor, or heaven forbid, being past-due.  She will come about a week-and-a-half early, meaning I'll have more time with her before classes begin in the fall.  And the best part?  I know she will be in my arms by the end of this week at the latest!  That alone makes everything else seem not-so-bad, because Luke and I cannot wait until she's here!

It was also nice to know that we had just a couple of days left, just Luke and I.  Since our 5-year anniversary is on Friday, we decided to celebrate it with a date last night.  We had a huge dinner at Carrabba's, complete with appetizers and desserts.  We had to go big during our last night out before the big day!

We also went to Babies R Us to pick up a few preemie outfits and sleepers.  I'm not sure if we'll need them, but I hate to think that she might not have any clothes that fit her!  I just want to be prepared.

After that, we bought a few last-minute hospital necessities, and headed home to relax. When we got home, there was a beautiful flower arrangement on the porch.  I still don't know who brought it!  But I'm guessing it was my sweet grandparents.  

Ignore Ellie's ear!  She loves smelling and inspecting the flowers, but has yet to bother them beyond that.

It really is amazing how everything we still needed to complete just sort of came together over the past few days.  We completed our online childbirth classes on Sunday night, I finally got a call from the hospital on Sunday as well to interview me about all of my preferences while we're there and during labor and delivery.  My mom finished the tiny "mattress" for Scarlett's cradle over the weekend, which we will need right when we get home.  Scarlett's diaper bag, which she received as a gift from a group of family friends, arrived on Monday (and I had so much fun filling it!)  Everything is just coming together, and I really can't think of anything pressing that still needs to be done. 

 I had fun filling her bag with the most frivolous items possible. I couldn't help it.

I am thankful for one more day to finish the laundry, and clean the house so everything's just right for our return with the newest member of our family!  Hopefully we will be home by Friday or Saturday.  I can't wait!

I will try to update the blog after she's born!  However, it might not happen until after we get home sometime. I can't believe I will have a baby the next time I write!  It's a very surreal feeling after waiting so long!  

38 Week Bumpdate

The Bump

Sorry for the out-of-focus picture.  It's hard to focus on myself using the timer on my new camera. Maybe I'll get the hang of it during my next pregnancy, because I hope this will be my last bumpdate!

A few people have told me they think I've dropped this week, but looking at the pictures, I just don't see much difference.  It's really hard to tell since I have such a short torso, and she is definitely not a "basketball baby."  Meaning, I got a big, swollen, round belly (and everything else) instead of just a little "basketball" in the womb. Also, totally unrelated, but please note that my arms look a little less ghostly this week.  I'm proud of my little tan!  

Milestones:

I'm a week past term, which means she could come any time!  I have to keep reminding myself that she's getting bigger and stronger every day she stays put, so it's probably a good thing she waits until as close to her due date as possible.  Even though I'm dying to meet her!

I have an ultrasound tomorrow to make sure she's grown in the past two weeks.  If she hasn't, they will induce me, so we could have a baby this week!  ...But I really think she's totally healthy and growing in there, so I'm not anticipating that that will happen.

Scarlett has passed all of her non stress tests with flying colors, which is another reason I think everything's fine with her.  Her heart rate has been great, and she is moving almost constantly (except when someone tries to feel her.  She must be shy like her mom!) 

Symptoms:

• Lots of contractions -- probably Braxton Hicks, but I have a few each day that sort of stop me in my tracks with a radiating pain through my lower back.  I hope this doesn't mean I'll have back labor!  But I hope it does mean that they have helped me progress a bit.  I will find out at my appointment tomorrow!
• Swelling.  I can't wait to get my normal feel and ankles back!  I definitely think this symptom would not be so bad during a different time of year.  The humidity does not help.
• Slight nausea has returned every once in awhile if I get too hungry, or eat too much.

Cravings:

• I have lost my appetite a bit, but watermelon still sounds really good, just about all the time
• Also, Chipotle.  Always Chipotle.

Fun Stuff:

• My hospital bag has been packed for a week, and so has Scarlett's.  Luke is the only one who is slacking, I guess.  
• Our car seat has been installed, which freaks me out a bit every time I catch a glimpse of it in my rear view mirror.

I'm going to be honest:  if this isn't my last "bumpdate," I will be a little bummed.  I don't want her to come too early, but I am so anxious to meet her!  This whole pregnancy has flown by until the last 2 or 3 weeks.  All of a sudden, time just seemed to stop.  I am so ready for this!  Or at least, I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be!

This Baby is Full-Term!

It has been a wonderful day around here!  Not only is it finally July, the month in which my daughter will be born (at least she better not hang out in there until August!) But it is also officially the day I am full-term!  Scarlett is big and strong enough to come anytime now! 

I had my weekly appointment this morning.  Here's the long version, but if you missed it, my doctor was not in the office last week, and the nurse practitioner who saw me instead put me on bed rest because I was measuring a little small.  At my appointment today, my doctor basically said she thought everything was most likely fine.  She said that I am a petite person, I was a tiny baby and Luke wasn't huge either, and that not everyone has an 8 or 9 lb baby.  I'll continue to have non stress tests twice weekly to be on the safe side.  And I have a growth ultrasound next week to make sure she's grown since my ultrasound a week ago.  My doctor anticipates that everything is fine, but in the case that she hasn't grown, I'll be induced right away!  Yikes!  So I'm praying that she is at least a bit bigger.  I'm really not worried, though.  

The best part?  She took me off of bed rest!  She acted like it was a bit unnecessary for me to be on bed rest last week, which is exactly what I thought she'd say.  Hallelujah!

I feel so much more at ease after my appointment today.  I have never been so excited to be able to clean my house or go grocery shopping!  It's not fun to feel helpless.  I'm so glad she cleared me this week, because as I said yesterday, we have a lot of fun things coming up with the 4th of July and our anniversary. 

After my appointment today, Luke and I went to a celebratory lunch at Cheddars.  We came home and I started a load of laundry and did some dishes.  I was all set to just clean away all afternoon.  But all of a sudden I got so tired!  I laid down and fell asleep for an hour.  Oh, pregnancy.  You do strange things to my body.  Yesterday I felt like I could have run a marathon because I think a nesting wave hit, but I was helpless to do anything about it!

Anyway, today feels like such a huge milestone!  I've been waiting for this day for so long!  It's such a relief to know that she could come at anytime, and she would be just fine, most likely.

Keep on cookin', Scarlett, for as long as you need to.  But we are officially ready whenever you are!

Bed Rest and a New Toy

Long post ahead.  I guess I have a lot to say after being cooped up for a week!

Last weekend was such a perfect weekend.  I spent Friday night out shopping with my mom for some last-minute nursery items.  We had dinner at Quaker Steak, and dessert at Menchies.  It was a fun girls' night.  I spent the entirety of the rest of the weekend out at the pool with my sister.  And just a week ago on Sunday night I was sitting outside at a friend's house on a beautiful summer evening, chatting with four friends.  Three of us happen to be pregnant, and the other two have babies, so you can guess what the topics of conversation for the evening were.

At one point I mentioned how my doctor keeps telling me what a boring pregnancy I'm having, and that as far as pregnancy goes, the more boring, the better.  I told them about how happy about this I was because after having so much trouble getting pregnant, and so many hormonal problems, I was so worried that it would be a hard pregnancy.  

Well, I guess I jinxed myself that night. 

The following morning I had a weekly doctor's appointment.  My sister, who was still in town, came with me because we were going to take a little shopping trip to the farmer's market afterwards.  It was supposed to be a normal doctor's appointment, except that my doctor was out of town, so I was seeing a nurse practitioner I'd never seen before.  

Things were going along as smoothly as normal until she measured my stomach.  At every single appointment before this one, my doctor has smiled at me after measuring and says, "right on the money!"  as she helps my now gigantic body sit back upright.  But at this appointment, the nurse practitioner got a puzzled look on her face, and then proceeded to measure me about 3-4 more times.  She finally explained that I was measuring the same or smaller than I had last week.  Then she ordered an ultrasound, just to be safe. 

The ultrasound was the best part of the appointment, because obviously it's always fun to get to see my baby unexpectedly.  And since my sister was in the waiting room, we were able to call her back so that she could see the baby too.  

You can sort of see half of her face in this picture...

Afterwards, Julie and I nervously sat in the little waiting area outside the ultrasound room to speak with the doctor.  I was freaking out.  They had mentioned that I could be losing fluid, which of course had me totally afraid they would have to induce me soon, when I haven't even started progressing or early labor at all.  I was afraid something was wrong with Scarlett.  I'm glad Julie was there to distract me and talk me off of the ledge.  

The CNP finally came back, and this is exactly what she said: "Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to end your [PAUSE] social life for awhile."  Way to give me a heart attack, lady!  I thought you were going to say "pregnancy!"  Meaning that you were going to send me to the hospital to be induced.  Anyway, she went on to explain that Scarlett's abdomen was measuring a little smaller than they'd like to see, so I was being put on bed rest as a preventative measure.  I would also be receiving weekly or twice weekly non stress tests.  

Although bed rest was not something I was excited about, I was glad it was purely preventative, and it really didn't sound too serious to me. I was just thankful nothing major was wrong.  

Fast forward to today, and I have been on bed rest for almost a week...possibly the longest week of my life!  

I will admit, it has had its perks.  I've had an excuse to be lazy and catch up on some of my favorite shows that I was too busy to watch during the fall and spring semesters.  I've read a lot of baby books, and feel a little more ready.  Luke has done more around the house than in 5 years of marriage, and I'm so thankful for him right now.  My mom has also helped out a lot around the house, and Luke's mom and a family friend have made delicious meals for us since I was told specifically, "no cooking."  

I've been trying to be positive about it, and look at it as the last really relaxing time I'll have for many, many years.  And mostly it hasn't been all bad.  I just keep thinking of all the women who have high risk pregnancies and have to be on bed rest for months at a time!  I don't know how they do it, and I'm so thankful that my pregnancy hasn't been that way. 

However, yesterday I cracked, just a bit.  I'd say the worst part of bed rest is the loneliness and lack of outside human contact.  And since Luke works basically around the clock in the summer, it has been a lonely 7 days.  I laid down in the afternoon and could feel those hormones bubbling up, making me feel about to explode.  And I just couldn't hold it in.  I thought of how I had people I wanted to visit and things I wanted to do before Scarlett gets here.  And for heaven sake, I just want to be able to get up and load the dishwasher or sweep the carpet!  

I cracked after 6 days of bed rest, so I guess that shows you how much of a wuss I am.  But really, it is kind of a bummer during the last few weeks before everything in life is about to change. 

I had my first non stress test on Thursday, and Scarlett did great.  My instincts tell me that absolutely nothing is wrong, and that Scarlett is just petite.  I barely weighed above 5 lbs when I was born at 38 weeks, so I'm not surprised that Scarlett is teeny tiny as well.  I also think that the CNP and my regular doctor probably don't measure exactly the same way, and that maybe Scarlett's position has something to do with the measurement being off.  I don't even see how being on bed rest has anything to do with Scarlett measuring small.  It even makes me annoyed at how sue-happy this country is, and how doctor's have to be so careful that they take every preventative measure so as not to get sued if something goes wrong.

But mostly, I just want Scarlett to be strong and healthy when she's born.  So as unnecessary as this all feels, I would never want to do anything that could hurt her.  So I'll go along with this, just in case.  Better safe than sorry. 

I have an appointment tomorrow at 11, and I absolutely can't wait to see my regular OB and see what she has to say about all of this.  I'm hoping everything will measure right on, and that my non stress test will go perfectly like the one on Thursday.  And I'm hoping she clears me from bed rest.  Luke and I have a lot of fun 4th of July plans, and then our anniversary the week after that, and I was really hoping it would be a couple of weeks to cherish before life changes forever.  If I do not get cleared, then I guess I will be hanging out at a lot of picnics this week in a lawn chair with my feet elevated!  Because staying in this couch is starting to feel a little claustrophobic!  

Gosh, I sound like a whiner!  I really am so thankful that it's been such a smooth pregnancy so far, and that even now, this is such a minor issue in the grand scheme of things.

I snuck out of my prison last night and had a little "bed rest cheat" with Luke and JC, because we decided that a nice camera would be a good investment now that Scarlett is almost here!  (I stayed in the car most of the time, and was only on my feet for a little while, so I didn't feel too guilty). JC helped us pick out the perfect camera, a Nikon D3100, and I am so excited!  A trip to Menchies followed, and after a week spent on the couch, it felt like the most exciting outing ever!  

So hopefully I will get cleared from bed rest tomorrow! But in the meantime, I've been having fun experimenting with our new "toy."  Here is the vast array of interesting subjects that can be seen from the couch:

Our obese cat who has lately taken up residence in this little basket filled with a soft blanket under the coffee table.  (She has been on a "diet" forever, and I'm starting to think genetics are just against her.)

 This not-so-fat cat, who perches herself on top of the couch all day, every day lately.

My midnight snack of choice (before pregnancy I would practically gag at the thought of Fruit Loops)

And the girly touch I put on the hat that Luke bought for Scarlett.  

I am dying...DYING...to take this thing out into the world and get some real pictures of fun things.  But for now I guess I'm stuck with pictures of cats, food, and random inanimate objects.  

Oh well, it won't be long before Scarlett is the main subject of our photos!  I'll be full term tomorrow, and I've had a few painful contractions today.  So hopefully I'm slowly but surely making progress. I wouldn't mind if she decided to come a little early now that I'm full term, especially if I find out I'll still have to be on bed rest after tomorrow!

36 Week Bumpdate

The Bump:

I forgot to label the collage, but it's 32, 34, and 36 weeks.  Not a huge difference from 32 to 34 weeks, but I think Scarlett had a major growth spurt between 34 and 36 weeks!  

Milestones:

I'm one week from being full-term!  I will feel great when I hit that milestone, although I wouldn't mind it if she waited a few more weeks after that to make her appearance.  I want her to be big and strong when she meets the world! And her due date falls on a full moon, so who knows?  Maybe she'll come right on time on July 22!

Symptoms:

• Extreme emotions and mood swings
• Occasional heartburn
• Swelling has gotten pretty bad this past week, pretty much everywhere.  Not just my hands and feet anymore. 
• Nesting
• Occasional insomnia

Cravings:

• Watermelon!  I can't get enough.

Fun Stuff:

• My last shower was last weekend, blogged about here.  It was such a beautiful day, and a beautiful party!  I got everything put away and organized afterward, and all of her clothes have been washed and oranized.  I feel really ready now!

• The finishing touches are being added to the nursery this weekend, so I'll probably do a nursery post sometime next week!  
  
  
   

Well, I suppose this could be my last bumpdate!  That's crazy to think about!  Or hopefully I'll have 1 or 2 more.  This not knowing is killing me!

Waiting

I would have never imagined that the last few weeks of waiting for Scarlett would feel like this.

It actually feels somewhat similar to the last few weeks before my wedding, and the timing is even pretty similar -- I got married on July 12, and Scarlett is due July 22, 5 years later.

There is one huge difference though: I had 18 months to plan my wedding, and we planned and scheduled the heck out of every little detail.  Weeks beforehand, I knew exactly what to expect.  The weather was a the only wild card on that day.

And with Scarlett's arrival?  We can't plan much of anything, because there are way too many unpredictable aspects.  She could come today (but hopefully not!), or she could come 6 weeks from today at the absolute latest.  She could come naturally, or via c-section.  It could be a quick labor and delivery, or it could last for days.  I can't even let myself think about it without nearly having a panic attack.  I'm a planner, and I do NOT do well with the unknown!

The past week has also been a huge change, because I finished my last class of the summer a week ago.  I went from being so busy and having so many deadlines to meet, to basically having nothing.  Classes are finished, we have almost everything we need for Scarlett, baby showers are over, nursery is done besides hanging the curtains...we have a few things left on the "to-do" list, but the bulk of it is really taken care of.

Add to this the fact that Luke is working about 50-60 hours a week between his two jobs, and I find myself sitting here, twiddling my thumbs, and wondering what to do with myself.

"You won't be bored anymore once the baby is here,"  my mom reminded me last night.  And while that is true, I still don't want to wish for an early arrival!  For some reason or another, everyone (including myself) seems to have a feeling that Scarlett is going to arrive early.  At first, that's what I thought I wanted.  But now I've totally changed my mind.  To be completely honest, I'm just a little bit scared.  I'm scared of having a little life to take care of, and I'm really afraid of how things are going to change.  Also, I was born two weeks early, and only weighed 5 lbs, 3 oz, and my weight even dipped below 5 lbs before leaving the hospital. So I am scared that Scarlett is a tiny little peanut as well.  I'm scared that she'll be too tiny if she's born too early, and I'm scared she'll have to be in the NICU.  So my "goal" is to have her no earlier than 38 or 39 weeks.  Not that I can control it, but it makes me feel better to think I still have at least 3-4 more weeks.

I also wasn't prepared for how emotional I'd be.  My body feels like nothing more than a mess of hormones right now.  I could not be more excited for this baby to be here, and I mean that with my whole heart.  I feel like I love her more than life already.  And yet there's this tiny, bittersweet melancholy there too.  Simply because this chapter of my life that I've waited so long to be over, is actually ending.  Luke and I will be in charge of raising a human now, and I'm pretty sure that means life will change in just about every way.  And this is going to sound so ridiculous, but I'm afraid my cats are going to think we abandoned them!  I wish I could tell you I hadn't felt guilty and cried a little bit over that.  (I know.  It has to be the hormones, because why would someone feel guilty about that?!)

I do remember feeling these same feelings in the weeks before I got married.  I was moving away from my parents' home, and in with Luke. It was more than just that, though.  I was basically leaving them, and uniting with Luke.  I remember being so excited to do that! ...but at the same time, a little sad that a big chapter of my life was ending.

And since then, marriage has been amazing!  I have obviously never looked back and thought, "I wish I was still young and single and living with my parents!"  But at the time it felt like I was letting go of something, but gaining something better.  And while I was so excited for the new, better thing, I was still a little sad to see the other thing go.  And I guess that's kind of how I feel right now in these last few weeks before Scarlett gets here.

Am I making any sense at all?

When my mom was pregnant with me, I decided to surprise her in the middle of the night, and sent her into labor 2 weeks early.  My parents still had 1 birthing class left, and they had yet to tour the hospital.  I remember my mom telling me that as the contractions were coming and as they were headed to the hospital, she just kept saying, "Wait, wait, I'm not ready for this! I can't do this yet!"  That's kind of how I feel right now.

I cannot even imagine what I'm going to be like in the last weeks before Scarlett's first sibling is born!  If I'm feeling guilty about how the cats are going to react now, I'm really going to feel guilty for turning Scarlett's world upside-down with a sibling!  Oh my, maybe she will be an only child!  (Kidding...)

All of these feelings are of course overshadowed by the wonderful joy, anticipation, and excitement I am feeling about her arrival!  I can't wait to hold her, and I'm constantly wondering who she will look like.  Will she have hair like newborn Luke, or will she be bald like I was?  Will she have a calm temperament, or will she keep us up all night, crying?  I can't wait to find out, and to get to know her little personality.  And that's the main thing I'm feeling these days.

However, all of these conflicting emotions, worries, excitements, and HORMONES are too much for one body to handle.  So I find myself crying probably 30% of the day when I'm alone, (including the entire time it took me to write this post).  Not out of sadness, just out of sheer anxiousness, and the fact that I need a release from these hormones and emotions, or I think I'm going to EXPLODE.

So yes, if I had to sum up what these last few weeks are feeling like, that would be it.  Some of the weirdest days of my life, and yet slightly comparable to the days leading up to my wedding.

Please tell me this is normal!  I feel like such a basket case, all the time.

Baby Shower #2 - Alice in Wonderland Theme

I had my second baby shower this past weekend.  It was thrown by my side of the family, and just like my first shower (blogged about here), it was amazing!  The theme was Alice in Wonderland, and it was very whimsical.  It was thrown by my mom, sister, cousins, grandparents, and aunts.  My mom is super creative and used to be a florist, and clearly, my sister inherited all of the creativity from her, and shared none of it with me!

The Details:

The shower was held at my granparents' house, in their beautiful garden.  They owned a floral shop/nursery business until they retired, which is pretty apparent when you see the garden!

The sign read, "There's a baby brewing, and we're mad with excitement!  Welcome to Scarlett's Wonderland.  Please come in and enjoy this tea party shower.  Walk around the garden, make Scarlett a headband, play a round of croquet, grab a bite to eat inside, and enjoy the company.  Gifts will be opened every half-hour. [It was an open house shower where guests could stop by any time]  Thank you for coming!"

 There was a table set up where everyone could make a headband or bow for Scarlett.  My cousin Rachel put it together and ran it, and made the hair bow holder.  What a cute idea!  Scarlett will literally have a different hair bow every day for a couple of months straight, I think!

My mom used the teapots from my sister's wedding as planters for favors

The Food:

We had lots of fancy, little sandwiches, veggies, fruit kebabs (I never know how to spell that word, and when I Googled it, I got about 10 alternate spellings, so hopefully that's right!), mints, nuts, sandwich cookies and some amazing cupcakes made by a Bible study friend from church.

I cried a little when I saw the beautiful display!

The Guests:

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Scarlett and her long awaited, upcoming arrival!

Luke and I have been in multiple Bible studies with the above ladies (Rachel and Karen) and their husbands, and we always used to joke that we were the only couples left in our late twenties at church without kids.  Well a few months after I found out I was pregnant, Rachel announced that she was too!  And Karen followed suit a month after that.  It has been fun going through various stages of life with these ladies, and I can't wait for our kids to grow up together.  Who knows...Scarlett's best friend and/or future husband could be one of these babies!  Is it too early to be thinking like that?!  (I know...yes, yes it is!)

***

I just can't thank everyone enough for all they did to make this shower special!  Especially my mom and sister, who worked so hard!  ...And my grandparents for hosting everyone in their gorgeous garden!  It was the perfect "wonderland!"

34 Week Bumpdate

The Bump

I seriously thought about cropping my face out.  Hello, swelling! I just don't feel like I look like myself these days.

 And here is the comparison shot.  Which, honestly, I don't see much of a difference between the weeks!  I think maybe she hasn't spread OUT much, but she's spread UP and BACK a lot.  I feel limbs in my ribs these days that weren't there until recently.  At my last appointment, my doctor said, "Wow, she's way up in those ribs!"  I guess that's what we short-torsoed people have to deal with!

Milestones:

Thanks to my Dysphagia class, I know that a baby's swallow is functional on the outside around 34 weeks!  So she probably wouldn't need to be on a feeding tube no matter when she's born from here on out.  Her lungs still need to develop a bit more, and she needs to add a bit of fat to her bones, so she can stay put for a few more weeks!

Weekly doctor's appointments start next week!  It's almost go time!

Symptoms:

• Nesting
• Heartburn is back, but it's not unbearable.  Just annoying!
• Swelling

Cravings:

• Strawberries and watermelon
• Still burgers. 

Fun Stuff:

• I had my first shower last Saturday (blogged about here).  It was beautiful!  And I have another shower coming up this Saturday.  We feel so blessed!
• The nursery is just about complete, minus the curtains.  I'll probably do a whole nursery post next week after our curtains come in and after my shower.  Here is a sneak peak though:

• We leave in about an hour for our hospital visit!  I am kind of afraid I'm going to freak out and start panicking when I get there and see the delivery rooms.  It's going to seem so real!  But at the same time, I feel like I'll be able to breathe a sigh of relief to know how to get there, where to park, and what to expect.
• After our shower last Saturday, my sister-in-law used her nice camera to take a few pictures of us since we aren't getting formal "maternity photos."  they turned out so nice!  Here are a couple of my favorites: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Next bumpdate, I will be 1 week away from full term!  I finish up my last class this Thursday, and after that and my shower, I am going to feel so ready! 

Nesting..?

Something has kicked in with my body and mind in the past few days, and I think it might be nesting.

The day before my shower I knew I was going to have a lot of baby things to organize the following day.  And even though the nursery was basically all cleaned and organized, I felt like I just wanted the rest of the house to be clean as well.  So I spent my Friday night cleaning the house.  I finished folding the laundry, thinking I was done for the evening.  Then I would think to myself, "Well, I'll just clean the floors, and then I'll be done."  So I'd mop the floors, and then think to myself, "I need to organize my desk."  So I'd do that, and then think of something else I wanted to finish.  It was pretty much nonstop until about 11, when I finally decided to call it a night, and crawl into bed after getting about 5 hours of sleep the night before (3rd trimester insomnia has decided to show up lately).

The next day was my shower.  I got home and after we unloaded everything, it looked like Babies R Us had exploded in the nursery and living room.  In the 4.5 hours between my shower and a friend's 30th birthday party later that evening, I took everything out of the packaging, began the big job of washing all the clothes and blankets, and organized everything.  During this time, I could barely stand because my feet hurt so badly.  But it was like I was a machine.  Something was driving me, and I wasn't going to stop until the nursery was perfectly organized.

We went to the birthday party, and got home around 10.  Instead of relaxing or going to bed like I probably should have, I couldn't leave the laundry alone.  I was only halfway done doing the first 2 loads of Scarlett's laundry, and I didn't let myself go to sleep until those two loads were organized by size and type, and put away in her closet or dresser.  I finally got to bed around 1.

Organizing the first load...

Scarlett's closet.  these are mostly her newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  We might have to add another rod in the closet!

The days following have been much the same.  I've been cleaning and organizing the house, trying to finish up the assignments for the last 2 weeks of my summer class, writing thank-yous, etc.

Last night I woke up right before 4:00, and all I could think about was the fact that I needed to scrub my bathtub/shower, and my kitchen cabinets.  I couldn't get back to sleep, and had to talk myself out of getting out of bed and doing it right then.   And then it took me an hour and a half to get back to sleep.

I don't know if I'm nesting based on my actual biological instinct to nest, or just my intellectual realization that Scarlett will be here so soon!  ...Actually it's probably a bit of both.  But it is certainly strange for me!  I am such a procrastinator, and normally not a clean freak at all.

It feels like something shifted inside of me right before the shower.  Seeing all of that baby stuff made everything else so real.  And my brain has turned into nothing more than one long to-do list, and my life mission for the next 6 weeks or so is to check off every last item.

And it's not just cleaning and organizing.  I just feel driven to do everything I can to prepare for this baby!  In the few times this week that I've let myself sit down and rest, I've been reading books about birth and babies like crazy.

I've also developed an obsession with Baby Magic, and can't help but squeeze a little onto my hands whenever I'm in the nursery.  It makes me feel like she's already here, I guess. 

So I guess this is nesting?  All I know is I wish I could bottle it up so I'd have some left after she's born!  I feel like that guy in Limitless after he takes those magic little pills.  I would be unstoppable if I could feel this motivated all the time!  I'm at least trying to enjoy being this productive while it lasts.

Baby Shower #1 - Vintage Theme

Saturday was my baby shower thrown by Luke's side of the family.  Everyone did such a wonderful job, and it was so special and girly!  Every little detail was so perfect!  The theme was "vintage," and they did a great job.

The Details:

 There was a little diaper station where people could write a message on a diaper.  I enjoyed reading them all, and some of them were really hilarious!  Also, my sister-in-law Diana made that diaper cake.  There are 97 in there! 

One of my favorite things was this "S" covered with baby pictures of me and Luke!  We are going to hang it in the nursery.  What a cute idea!

The Food:

We had a delicious brunch!  First of all, how cute are those water bottles?!  What did I say about EVERY detail?  And those poppy seed muffins were to-die-for, as were the blueberry breakfast casserole, and French Toast casserole.  Not pictured: the delicious sausage egg casserole 

We also had a yogurt bar.  Yum!

The Guests:

Thanks to everyone who came!

The Gifts:

Here I am opening gifts.  Scarlett was blessed with so many wonderful things!  The glider I'm sitting in was a gift from Luke's parents, and my mom made a crib sheet, bumper, and skirt. I'm not going to show that yet though...that will happen in a nursery reveal post in a few weeks after we get everything hung on the walls, and curtains picked out!  Scarlett also received a multitude of gifts from her registry, and enough adorable, pink clothes for 7 baby girls, I think!

And here are just a couple final pictures -- one with the 3 people who were responsible for this beautiful shower, and one with the grandmas!

I cannot begin to put into words how blessed we feel.  Scarlett is going to be one lucky little girl!