37 Weeks - Full Term, Baby!

How far along?: 37 Weeks - All internal organs are ready to go!!
How big is baby? Measures from head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard)
Weight gain/loss?: I don't believe I have gained anything... Maybe a pound (if that). :)
Stretch marks?: Stomach looks amazing. :) Thank you Bio-Oil!!
Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes all the way.
Sleep?: Sleep through most of the night unless I have to pee... Which is like 2x to 3x/night and its normally around the time I have to get up. Thanks bladder & baby girl.
Food cravings?: fresh/frozen fruit, tuna casserole (I used to hate it, now I eat it more)
Movement?: She definitely moves around, just not as intense as before (she's getting bigger). She is definitely getting into a schedule.
Gender?: We have a beautiful baby girl growing inside me. :)
Belly button?: Sometimes it looks like its popped and sometimes it hasn't.
What are you looking forward to this week?: Our last sono is on Thursday. Our 37th week appointment is on Friday. They couldn't do it back to back. Also have my first internal exam. Wondering if I have dilated or not. We shall see. :)

Happy Last Day!!! (insert happy dance & smile & tears)

Well today, friends, is our last day. I wanted to say my last day but I knew it wasn't the right word to use. It is our last day - the DH had to take out our second to last syringe and fill it with progesterone (we have one extra to use next time). This was the last time that I had to feel that pain/burning sensation/knot in my rear. It was such an amazing/scary/exciting/overwhelming feeling because we know that the shots are over with and now the waiting begins. We are waiting for our baby girl. How freakin' awesome is that!

Today I wanted to bring some of my friends/co-workers that I used to eat with (half day doesn't allow me to anymore) a dessert. Just to say thank you for supporting me, for supporting us. I will be making something gluten-free so that one co-worker especially can enjoy the dessert (goal is to share it with them next week).

One of my friends put a ? on my facebook status last night... So I thought I would share why this dinner is so important tonight. What are we celebrating? We are celebrating the end of the shots. All 66 shots and over 3 months of progesterone pills (post-peak phase & 2.5 months ago when I started the pills up again). We're celebrating the end of something that has been hard and not easy on either one of us.

So the next big thing we get to celebrate is the birth of our baby girl and that is the best feeling/emotion a mother and father can feel. (You have been preparing for this for months.)

To our friends who have supported us.. You know who you are. You know that it hasn't been easy for the DH and I. But you have been there and haven't left. We thank you for that. We pray to God about each and every one of you that have been there for us. Cheering, supporting and praying for us during these past 9 months. You will never really know how much it meant to us. We love you.

So here's to the last shot and a new beginning. God, You are so amazing. Thank you so much for blessing us with this baby girl. We are patiently awaiting her arrival.

Baby Update

Well everyone, yesterday we went to the doctor.

Things we know....
- The heartrate was wonderful.
- We found out that she is head down. :) Amen to that.
- I have a low hemoglobin - similar to iron.
- My Vitamin D is a 44!! :)
- My last progesterone pill is tonight.
- My last progesterone shot is TOMORROW!!!!
- My last sonogram is next Thursday. Cannot wait to see baby girl.
- And I officially started my FMLA today. That means I am going to half days. I will be working in the mornings only.

Working mornings only means I get to make sure all my kids are there. It means that I get to come home for lunch and relax. I cannot wait to put my feet up and relax for once. I am not sure if it is the stress of work, my kids or staff. You just never know when you work at a school.

Things I am sad about (though they are so tiny):
- I didn't get to go to the school bonfire at my husband's work today. Its been our tradition, our thing.
- We aren't carpooling anymore. Though if my water breaks at school, the DH will be able to get there without me having to drive to his school and not freak out on my way there. LOL.
- I am going blow through my sick days. I will be lucky to have 6 of them by the end of the maternity leave. I guess I will definitely be going back on January 5th.

Oh Mondays....

Today was a good morning. I was able to handle the shot and thought we were going to have a great day. I was proven wrong mid-morning. Something happened at school that caused the DH to show up and the doctor to be called. After the DH left, I finally got to talk to the nurse. I had no choice but go to the hospital. The DH and I arrived at our hospital around 2pm. I had to answer a lot of questions and they started to monitor me (two items - baby's heartrate & contractions) for FOUR HOURS. It seemed like a lifetime. It was uncomfortable only being on one side for that long period of time. The nurse and midwife were happy though that we came in. The baby's heartrate showed an up and down pattern... which is good!! If it was a flat line, that would be very bad. The nurse and midwife did ask me if I was okay because I was having contractions. They wanted to make sure I didn't feel them. I told them that I didn't and I asked if I should feel it or not. They said its good that I am having contractions (preparing my body for labor) but it was good that I wasn't feeling.

Tomorrow we go to the doctor. I am excited to meet the new doctor. I am wondering if they are going to check me or not. I guess we will see.

I couldn't have gotten through the day without my husband. It definitely showed me just how much he cares and worries about me.

Deserves Its Own Post

1 More Shot to Go!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

***Cannot wait to have a nice dinner with my DH on Thursday!

36 Weeks - OH MY!!

How far along?: 36 Weeks - Will be full term at the end of this week!!
How big is baby? Weighs as much as a crenshaw melon (6pds - gaining 1 oz/day)
Weight gain/loss?: Let's see I have gained a pound from my 33 week appt to my 35 week appt. We will see what happens this week. :)
Stretch marks?: Stomach looks amazing. :) Thank you Bio-Oil!!
Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes all the way.
Sleep?: Sleep through most of the night unless I have to pee... Which is like 2x to 3x/night and its normally around the time I have to get up. Thanks bladder & baby girl.
Food cravings?: fresh/frozen fruit, tuna casserole (I used to hate it, now I eat it more)
Movement?: There's movement going on. She is definitely getting into a schedule.
Gender?: We have a beautiful baby girl growing inside me. :)
Belly button?: I'm not sure if its going to pop or not.
What are you looking forward to this week?: 2 more shots to go!! The DH and I are having a nice dinner on Thursday. :) Also on Tuesday, we are going to the doctor together. Cannot wait to see what they have to say. Also I'm hoping they check me internally. They were supposed to do that last week but there was so much going on.

Things I know....

- 2 more shots to go.
- On Sunday I start my 36th week of being pregnant.
- This weekend I am going to start packing our bags for the hospital.
- We are also installing the carseat this weekend too.

Stress Go Away!

So yesterday wasn't easy at all. The real bad thing.... Baby E stopped moving. I was scared and told the DH about it when we went to bed. Today was better than yesterday but still stressful.

When I went to the doctor, they put me on a monitor to make sure the baby was okay. She was better than okay, she was great! I even had two small contractions. The midwife talked to me after the monitoring... She said that I cannot wait, I must call. So every morning and evening, I have to lay down for 30 minutes and count. I must feel 5 or more kicks and punches. If I do not, I have to call and either come into the office or go to the hospital.

If you read this blog, please pray for Baby E and me. Please pray that my stress level goes down and I can handle the next few weeks. Next week, the DH said he is going to talk to the doctor and tell them how I feel. He feels like I need to express how I feel (like the stress isn't going to go away - unless on bedrest). I know you aren't supposed to wish for bedrest... but I care more about my baby than anything else.

4th Shot, 3 more to go!!!

4th Shot = Not... I sorta laid/rested my tummy on the bed. Chris injected the solution and I did feel it. It was burning but I did get through 2CCs!!!

3 MORE TO GO!!!!! :)

2 more days til the doctor appt!!

35 Weeks.... She is almost full-term.

How far along?: 35 Weeks
How big is baby? Weighs as much as a honeydew melon (5.5 pds)
Weight gain/loss?: Definitely stopped weighing myself. The nurse did say a week and half ago that I didn't gain a pound between appointments. We will see on Wednesday if that is the same.
Stretch marks?: Stomach looks amazing. :) Thank you Bio-Oil!!
Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes all the way. I had to buy a larger bra this past weekend with one of my friends... Nervous that the boobs are going to get larger. LOL.
Sleep?: Sleep through most of the night unless I have to pee... Which is like 2x to 3x/night and its normally around the time I have to get up. Thanks bladder & baby girl.
Food cravings?: fresh/frozen fruit
Movement?: There's plenty of movement going on. Its so beautiful.
Gender?: We have a beautiful baby girl growing inside me. :)
Belly button?: I'm not sure if its going to pop or not.
What are you looking forward to this week?: 4 more shots to go!!! My count went down and I am back to 2CCs/2x a week. And you can read about how I handled my 5th shot (2CCs). I get to go to the doctor this week.

Our Friends

Today is Sweetest Day and yes, it screams Hallmark Holiday & not a real holiday. I did buy the DH a card and I am buying him a Willow Tree that will go perfectly in Baby E's nursery.

Today also reminds me of all my friends. All of the friends that haven't left my side through this pregnancy. The ones that call or text to make sure I am doing okay because they know sometimes I am not. The ones that send me advice on what items to buy or things to do when she arrives. I cannot forget the one that said for the last few weeks, do something for yourself once a week. I am so thankful for these people. I am lucky to have them around even if we are miles apart from each other.

Today also reminds me of the people who haven't spoken to me since I have gotten pregnant. Why did this happen? Because we are on different paths or just not meant to be in the next chapter of life together. I am not going to start naming people but its true. Out of my 6 bridesmaids, I have a relationship with all of them except for one. My sister and I are closer than we have been in years (so this should be in the positive category). I do miss the one bridesmaid that I haven't talked to but that is life according to one of my best friends from grammar school. And I have accepted this.

I hope and pray that Baby E doesn't have to go through what her daddy and I went through with our friends. I think a part of my DH misses his guy friends from high school. But knows that God has blessed him with some really amazing ones such as his best man, fantasy football friends and cannot forget one of my favorites - our school's summer speech path. Because the DH and I teach summer school every year (except for this coming!!), we have built this friendship with the speech path. We have been introduced to his wife and their handsome little son. And just last week, I went shopping with his wife and their son while our husbands were at a football game together. The DH and I feel so blessed to have friends who have babies or toddlers because they know things that the DH and I don't know yet. I love hearing their advice and knowing they will always be there to support us.

The DH and I are so blessed to have a loving family that might be crazy at times but they are crazy for you, Baby E. We are blessed to have the friends who haven't left our side through this pregnancy or other challenges we have faced.

Today, I want to say thank you to all of you and remember that we love you.

1st of 5 shots & another rough day

So yesterday was our 1st of 5 shots left til baby E makes her appearance.

Things I know.....
- The DH darted the needle toward my butt (OUCH but that's how he has to do it).
- Started injecting the progesterone & I could feel it.
- Not even 1CC in and I was done.
- Light-headed, on the verge of fainting... Just not a good thing.
- I couldn't handle it. The DH could only get 1.75 of the liquid/oil in me.
- He stopped and had to help me to our bedroom to lay down.
- On a good note (HA), I have 4 shots left.

...........................................

This morning was like every other morning except I woke up coughing... I told the DH I was going to get sick. I think he wondered if it was really going to happen or not. I showered. Then brushed my teeth. Big mistake on wanting to brush my teeth. I know its what you have to do (LOL)... but it always makes me puke. And there you go.. This is how I started my Friday.

I hope our weekend is better than the past two days.

Phone Call from the Nurse (my dr's nurse)

Well it is true... I'm back to 2CCs twice a week (4 total in a week). And on a good note, I have FIVE shots left and 15 pills left.

I am so lucky/blessed to have my DH, momma and friends who have supported me during this pregnancy. It definitely hasn't been easy.

I will be so happy when my shots are done.

And I did the calculations... 66 SHOTS total and I have completed 61 so far.

Thanks for all the love, support & prayers.

34 Weeks & Progesterone Count

1st Draw: 14.9 (when we first found out we were pregnant - 4 weeks pregnant)
2nd Draw: 11.7 (6 weeks pregnant)
3rd Draw: 13.7 (8 weeks pregnant)
4th Draw: 17.6 (10 weeks pregnant) - Closer to 20!!!!
5th Draw: 15.4 (12 weeks pregnant) - Still closer to 20 but not where it needs to be.
6th Draw: 23.9 (14 weeks pregnant) - Over 20!!!! So close to Zone 2.
7th Draw: 23.7 (16 weeks pregnant) - Over 20!!!! Will hear back from the doctor tomorrow because she wasn't in today. :)
8th Draw: 26.3 (18 weeks pregnant) - Closer to 30 and I thought I was in the 27's before and that it went down... Man, I need to be more optimistic there. I am happy to say that my count is above 25 and getting closer to 30.
9th Draw: 30.4 (20 weeks pregnant) - It is over 30 people!!! Amen to that.
10th Draw: 32.4 (22 weeks pregnant) - It is going up!!! But not as high as I would like it.
11th Draw: 33.3 (24 weeks pregnant) - It is going up but because of the infection in my body... I swear that's why it didn't go up more. We are thankful/blessed/grateful that it is going up... It is still painful and looking forward to seeing my doctor on Thursday to discuss our options since I am in 25 weeks now.
12th Draw: 31.3 (26 weeks pregnant) - My progesterone went down and I am on the verge of crying. We have a phone call out to the dr who prescribed the shots. We are thankful though that it is still above 30. AMEN to that.
13th Draw: 56.6 (28 weeks pregnant) - My progesterone has gone up (a whole 25.3 points)!!!!!!! Been on the shots since 4 weeks pregnant & with the progesterone pills for only 1.5 weeks!! God is so good... And we are so thankful that it has gone up.
14th Draw: 62.3 (30 weeks pregnant) - My progesterone almost went up 6 points!!! Tomorrow I will hear back from the doctor to see if they are going to change my dosage.
15th Draw: 85.8 (32 weeks pregnant) - My progesterone went up 23.5 points!!! Praise the Lord!!!! On a high note, if that wasn't high enough for you, I am officially in ZONE 2!!!!!! I am only in Zone 2 by 5 points but its an amazing feeling to finally have. And on another high note, my shots are going from 2CCs to 1CCs!!!! YAY!! I am still taking the pills. It was either that or just stay on 2CCs and drop the pills. The DH and I are quite excited about this!!!
16th Draw: 81.8 (34 weeks pregnant) - Well my progesterone went down 4 points. The doctor did tell me that this could happen when you go from 2CCs twice a week (4 total) to 1CC twice a week (2 total). I'm trying to be strong and I am so thankful for my DH. He has kept me going through this all of this. We will see what the doctor has to say either tomorrow or Thursday. Hopefully Wednesday because we have a shot on Thursday. Also we really want to know when we can stop these shots. My butt has gone through so much already.

34 Weeks!!!

How far along?: 34 Weeks
How big is baby? Weighs as much as a cantaloupe
Weight gain/loss?: Definitely stopped weighing myself. The nurse did say last week that I didn't gain a pound between appointments. We will see in a week if they say otherwise. LOL.
Stretch marks?: Stomach looks amazing. :) Thank you Bio-Oil!!
Maternity clothes?: Maternity clothes all the way. I had to purchase new bras a while back... And I'm worried I have to buy more to last me the next few weeks. LOL.
Sleep?: Sleep through most of the night unless I have to pee... Which is like 2x/night and its normally around the time I have to get up. Thanks bladder & baby girl.
Food cravings?: fresh/frozen fruit
Movement?: There's plenty of movement going on. Its so beautiful.
Gender?: We have a beautiful baby girl growing inside me. :)
Belly button?: Its changing... It still hasn't popped yet. LOL.
What are you looking forward to this week?: 6 more shots to go!!! Please pray that my count goes up this week... We should get the results on Wednesday.

33 Week Appt

We met with the doctor today... Baby seems to be active (DUH). And has a great heart rate. I'm measuring 34 weeks.

Other than that, please keep the three of us in your prayers. We have hit a large bump that we haven't gotten over yet. And it breaks my heart.

33 Weeks!!!!

How far along?: 33 Weeks
How big is baby? Weighs as much as a pineapple (I do love my pineapple)
Weight gain/loss?: Definitely stopped weighing myself.
Stretch marks?: Stomach looks amazing. :) Thank you Bio-Oil!!
Maternity clothes?: A combination of maternity pants and maternity shirts. My belly is getting bigger. Worried that as my belly gets bigger my shirts won't be long enough.
Sleep?: Sleep has gotten better. Combination of a firm bed and progesterone pills at night.
Food cravings?: cheerios & vitamin D, fresh/frozen fruit
Movement?: There's plenty of movement going on. Its so beautiful.
Gender?: We have a beautiful baby girl growing inside me. :)
Belly button?: Its changing... It still hasn't popped yet. LOL.
What are you looking forward to this week?: 8 more shots to go!!! Going to the doctor this week with the DH!! <3