35 Weeks and all is well

Monday was another appointment with Doctor Johansen.  Max's heartbeat is still really strong, and he is finally measuring at a normal size, or at least my uterus is.  Things are starting to go faster, and get exciting.  Next Tuesday I have my breastfeeding class, so hopefully I will learn some good stuff then.  Then on Thursday, drum roll...I will have the cerclage taken out!  After that, it is just a wait and see what my body will do.  Some women go into labor soon after having a cerclage removed, some it takes several weeks.  They remove it at 36 weeks because that is when most women start having activity with dilating and such, and they don't want my cervix ripping from the stitches. 

Mark and I both are getting very excited, but I am still terrified of all the responsibilities that I will suddenly have when he is born.  I'm sure I will figure it all out, but when you have as much time as I do to think about it, it gets a little terrifying!  I am still on bed rest, and will remain so either until Max is born, or until 38 weeks.  Dr. Johansen has mentioned that if I do make it to 38 weeks, I can start walking and such.  I don't think I have ever been so excited to take a walk!  The weather here has been fabulous, in the 70's with a light breeze, so staying in and not walking has been torture.  I still enjoy the weather, but I always have the urge to go out and do something, but end up in the lounge chair trying to soak it all in. 

And to the pictures...

We decided to do the photos al fresco this week in the back yard.

Ros wanted to be a part of it.

33 Weeks

Monday was another doctor's appointment.  Another day of no's.  I asked if I could start walking and yoga again after the cerclage is removed on August 9th, and he said no.  I am permitted to go to my Labor and Delivery class on Saturday, though.  But, he said that if I start feeling uncomfortable, to leave early, and I can just figure it out as it happens. 

Max, for the first time, was measuring where he should be.  I asked if I should be worried that he hadn't grown since my last visit, and he said no, that he would probably have another growth spurt and be measuring ahead again. 

Not much else has been going on.  I am just getting bigger and bigger, moving much slower, and have a hard time finding a comfortable position.  Max does a pretty good job of keeping me up at night, as well as the restless legs.  I am freaking out, though, because I feel like I am still very ill prepared to have a baby.  I will have the cerclage removed in 3 weeks, and Max can come any time after that.  The doctor says that it usually takes a few weeks, but that is still only 7 weeks until I am full term.  Yikes!  I need to get reading!

I was dressed up to go have my Temple Recommend interview, so I figured it was a good time to take pictures.  I don't get dressed up for the dogs, so I have to take advantage of these moments. 

I can't believe how much my belly has grown in only 3 weeks!

Mark didn't realize the photo shoot was over.

30 weeks and all is well

We finally made it to 30 weeks!  I don't know why it feels like such an accomplishment, but it does.  Here are the pics:

Pardon the background, I had Mark take the pic at his work when I dropped his lunch off.

I never thought that all it would take is a very large pregnant belly to make my butt look smaller!

 At the last doctors appointment a week and a half ago, Max was still measuring big.  So I would say that I have 10 more weeks of this, but I honestly hope I don't go all the way to 40 weeks.  I am already feeling quite large, and recently I have been feeling much heavier, even though I haven't gained any weight.  I guess it's just because all the weight is moving to my abdomen, and I'm not used to that.  The Braxton Hicks definitely don't help any, either. 

At the last appointment the doctor made it pretty clear that I will be waiting until 36 weeks to remove the cerclage.  He also said that it usually takes around 2 weeks after that for the cervix to open back up, so Max will most likely be here between 38-40 weeks.  Let's hope for 38, especially since he is measuring two weeks bigger than normal!

I am getting excited for the all-day labor class in a few weeks.  I plan on pushing this guy out naturally, but I have been feeling nervous about whether or not I will remember all the coping techniques.  So I am glad for the class because it will be an entire day when Mark and I can focus on learning how to do this labor and delivery stuff.  I am also REALLY nervous that he ends up being too big for me to push out, as is not uncommon in my family.  I absolutely don't want to have any kind of medicated birth, since I hate how it makes me feel.  Of course, I will do what it takes to make sure he gets here healthy, but I am definitely determined to do this without medication if possible.  I never thought that I would be thinking about my own labor and delivery!  8 years in the making, we are so excited to meet Miracle Max!

27 weeks and Graduate

We are at 27 weeks today.  Yay!  I had an appointment with the doc on Monday, and it didn't go too well.  My blood pressure was high, and Max is still measuring big.  I have never had high blood pressure, so that was a huge shock to hear.  Because my blood pressure was high, the doctor said to increase my resting to try to avoid developing pre-eclampsia.  So Mark bought a blood pressure monitor from work, and we have been taking my blood pressure every night.  Normal every time.  Mark thinks it was a case of white coat syndrome.  Since the last "routine" check-up was such a disaster, he thinks I stress now when my doctor's appointments come around.  I definitely do dread them now, as I am expecting more bad news. 

The good news is, when I have the cerclage taken out it won't be a big deal.  I was thinking they would be numbing me up again, which I HATE, and it would be like surgery all over again.  So I asked Doctor Johansen about it, and he said it was a procedure that they just do in the office at one of my routine check-ups around 36 weeks.  They just clip the thread and pull it out.  Hardly worse than a Pap Smear.  Yay!

I also was informed that there will be no travel for me until this little guy comes.  Thank goodness we had already cancelled all of our travel plans.  Next week I will be doing the 1 hour glucose test.  It makes me nauseated just thinking about it.  I had to do one during my stay in Phoenix, and it was horrible.  Because Max is measuring so big, they were worried about gestational diabetes.  This time it is just a routine test since I will be 28 weeks. 

Max's update: the kid never stops!  Last week I was in a bit of a panic because I hadn't felt him move very much for 2 days.  I called the doc's office, and they said that at that point in pregnancy it's pretty normal for kiddos to take a few days off from the huge kicks.  The call was definitely premature, as the next day I woke up to him thumping away, and he hasn't stopped for more than a few minutes since.  It's still weird to look down and see my stomach moving.  This morning it felt like there was gerbil in there running around and around on a wheel.  It already seems, though, that Mark's voice is soothing to him.  He has been reading Winnie the Pooh to Max every night, and after a few minutes of reading he calms down.  I like that! 

Also, today I received my diploma from University of Nebraska.  I am officially a graduate, with a Bachelor's degree!

And without further ado, the prego pics...

24 weeks!

I finally made it to 24 weeks!  This feels like such a huge milestone for me, knowing that Max's chances of survival have gone up dramatically if he does come early.  We're still planning to have a full term baby, but we are very excited that he has stayed in there this long.  We have even started getting a few of the necessities for babies, since we have finally made it this far.  I had my pictures taken today, and I am posting all three because I can't decide which looks the least horrible.

Keep in mind that there is a uterus in there the size of a soccer ball!

Mark has been much more excited now that we have gotten this far, too.  We have the car seat installed so that we can actually bring him home whenever he does decide to come.  I know that seems premature, but I am a planner, and we want to be ready for anything.  I have also painted some things for Max's nursery that Mark needs to hang up.  No worries, it was acrylic paint, so no fumes to worry about for the pregnant mom!

This anchor has a rope that goes around the top

Helm. This will go next to our display of sailor knots.

 Little boat shelf/drawer

  I ordered some stars to finish a birthday wall-hanging project that I have been working on.  The stars were not the right ones, and it would have cost more in shipping to send them back than the actual stars were worth, so I came up with this idea.  We have really high ceilings, like 10 feet, so I painted the stars a gold/yellow color, and then painted them with a glow in the dark paint.  Then I tied them to clear push pins with fishing line, and Mark hung them up on the ceiling.  I have to say, I think it looks pretty cool, especially when you turn off the lights!

 

 

 

Glow in the dark stars

 My Mom came down for a week right after my surgery and such to help me adjust to bed rest as well as take care of me since Mark has been working a lot to pay for all of the bills, and take advantage of this time to work before Max is born.  For those that don't know my Mom, she is the garage sale/consignment queen!  She can always finding awesome things at great prices.  While she was here, she found this great painting at Goodwill to go in Max's room for $1!  It looks really cool in the room, as you can see it hanging on the wall in the previous picture.

My mom found this for $1!

She also went to a few garage sales, and found a bunch of really nice clothes and cute shoes for Max, as well as a really nice nursing cover, a baby sling large enough to fit Mark, and a really cool lamp with shells on it for Max's room.

Cute shoes and clothes for Max

My Mom didn't like Polly very much because she sheds hair like crazy, and because she is so super hyper that she still jumps, even though we have been trying to get her to stop for most of her life.  So it was funny to look over and see Polly slowly inching her way towards my Mom until she had her head resting on my Mom's lap.  I told my Mom, the more she dislikes Polly, the harder she will try to win your affection.  Too funny!

My toes, my Mom, and Polly, who "snuck" up on my Mom.

Since I am on bed rest for the foreseeable future, I have been ordering the few things we need for Max on Amazon.  I think I am wearing out the UPS guy.  Maybe I should make him some cookies.  Wait, have Mark make him some cookies.

Mark is doing amazing considering all he is having to take on with my forced laziness.  Not only is he working more hours, but he is also doing the housework and taking care of me.  He is actually as tired as me these days, poor guy.  I found a really nice oak dining table with two chairs on Craigslist yesterday for only $100, and all it needs is to be refinished.  It extends to 9 feet with 2 leafs.  Mark got it for me, carried it in by himself, and put it all together.  His only comment was that it was REALLY heavy.   The man is amazing! 

My awesome new table with a claw foot pedestal!