houston, we have progress (dr. update)

Today I had my 38 week appointment, and boy did we hear good news. First, my platelet count from last week was 151k. That was enough to make my day! So now we're in the clear for a possible epidural. I do have to keep up taking my medication to insure that my count stays up. Second, Dr. Sutandi said that my cervix was still soft but didn't say if I was any more effaced. Third, he said that I was 2 centimeters dialated already. I was extremely happy with this news, as was Brad. The dr. even said that he thinks it's possible Katelyn could arrive next week. I am so excited! It was a good day for us. Keep checking back for more updates.

nursery updates

Brad and I both had Monday off so we took that time to clean up! The first thing we did was remove the queen size bed that took up most of the room. Then we had to figure out how we wanted to rearrange everything. It was nice to have that extra room, we needed it! After that we built the swing, it is so cute! We couldn't decide what to do with all of her bath supplies so while out in Wal-mart we found a shelving unit that Brad later bought and put together which works perfectly in her room. I had earlier finished washing all of her newborn up to 3 months clothes and put them away. (I had to put all the other clothes in plastic boxes because there was so much!)

Brad had Tuesday off so he took that time to put together the bouncer, which was too advanced for me! The only other things we would need to put together now are the pack n' play and the exosaucer. After I dusted and swept, the room is ready to go. That last picture is of my packed bags, I'm ready to go as well!!!

38 weeks

38 weeks today, wow. It only seems like yesterday when I told Brad that he was getting an early birthday present, (I tested positive 2 days before his birthday). Its crazy how fast time flies. I’m going into the doctor’s today for my weekly appointment and will have to update later on how that went. Hopefully they’ll be some more progress! I’m really hoping she comes the first week of January. Brad’s hoping for the 5th, I don’t care as long as I’m not late!!! I haven’t felt that burst of energy yet but I’m waiting. Patiently.

How your baby's growing:
Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Baby Shower 2

On Sunday, the 28th, I had a baby shower with my side of the family. It was hosted by my Aunt Tammy, Mallori and Whitney. I want to thank them very much because it was a fun party. The games included a nursery rhyme game that was very tough but clever and the guess what melted chocolate bar is in this diaper game. My sense of smell must be off because I couldn’t figure any of them out! I got advice cards from everyone with the main piece being get much needed sleep!

As far as the gifts go, I have the best family, they are great and I couldn’t ask for better. I got my lovely swing which I’m so happy about from my mom and dad. I got the bouncer (thanks!), two gift baskets full of supplies and goodies, some helpful items from Brandi and Britney (who’s been there twice!), and lots more clothes. Katelyn is going to be a fashionista! (Hopefully I didn’t leave anything out). It was all wonderful and greatly appreciated and we thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.

Of course last but not least, the food! Everything was delicious and yummy. I loved the strawberry cake and ate most of the leftovers at home! Again, we thank you and love you all.

Christmas

Christmas was an interesting day for Brad and I. It started out fine with us exchanging our gifts, and giving our animals their gifts. We got each other great gifts favorites being for me a silver diamond heart necklace and for Brad a shirt that I had embroidered DeWeese Farms on it. We completely surprised each other with those gifts.

After that we took our showers and thats when the day took a turn for me. Before I hopped in I was feeling very odd and had cramps in my lower stomach. The warm shower helped but after I got out and was getting ready they still continued. I told Brad and we came up with that they were labor pains, we didn't know though if they were real or not. So we continued the day as usual timing the contractions and keeping track of how long they lasted and how far apart they were. We had gone to my parents to finish Christmas with them and the contractions continued there as well but were very inconsistant and all over the place as far as time goes. So we came to the conclusion that they were false labor pains, or Braxton hicks. They also stopped by the time I left my parents house which was about 2, (they had started about 9am). We had handled things very well and now know what to expect. I just have to remember to breath! I will admit that I was a little scared because I wasn't ready yet for her to come, I felt it was still a little early for her and am hoping she comes after the first of the year. But she'll come when she wants!

Later we went to my Grandma's house for Christmas with the Brown family. Everyone there heard the story! Our families are very supportive and have lots of advice and I love to hear it. All in all we had a good Christmas, just with an added story to tell!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve my parents and Brad's parents will get together for dinner and exchanges, this year it was at Doug & Linda's. We had a blast. We started out with dinner of sandwiches and a lot of side dishes to choose from. I was so full! After that we moved onto the present exchange. We got some good gifts including an outfit for Katelyn. Brad got a ton of bullets for his new gun which he can't wait to take back outside and shoot. When we finished with that we went back to the table and played some rounds of Dominoes. My dad brought some whiskey for the guys which made the game more interesting as it went along! We had a great time!

37 weeks!

Today I am 37 weeks! I can't believe it. Katelyn is now able to come safely at any time. I had a doctor appointment yesterday and was told that she'll more than likely be around 7 lbs. at birth. Brad and I were both around 7 lbs. so that was fine with me. Everything else looked good and I was measuring well. I'm feeling good also, except for the heartburn!

We also had our last Childbirth Prep class last night and learned somemore interesting things as well as got to take our tour. The rooms were nice and will be comfortable. We were unable to see the post partum rooms though as they were all full at the time. I can't believe how fast time seems to be going! She'll be here before we know it.

On a side note, Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

How your baby's growing:
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Quick update

Yesterday I had my 36 week doctor appointment and everything went well. I had to have the standard Group B Strep test done and if I don't get a phone call from them everything turned out fine! He also told me that my cervix is still pretty tight but that I am 60% effaced which is good. For labor it has to be 100%. I'm not dilated but I was fine for that because its still early. He told me that if she doesn't come on her own before 40 weeks that we may have to do an induction for 40 or 41 weeks. Hopefully she comes before then!!! Other than that everything is great.

36 weeks

I am 36 weeks today! Wow. Time seems to be going faster now. I can't wait to meet her either. I haven't felt that lightening feeling yet so she hasn't dropped. They told us in class last week that when she drops you'll be able to breath easier and eat more, like I need the latter! Anyways the downfall to that is I will have to go to the bathroom 10 times more. Oh well, I'll take the good with the bad.

Last night's class was canceled because of the slick roads and Brad and I were pretty disappointed. We were looking forward to the hospital tour and seeing where we will be when we first meet Katelyn. I guess it'll be shoved into our last class next Tuesday as we will be going early 15 minutes and leaving later 15 minutes. At least we'll still get our tour!

Christmas with Grandpa & Grandma Fuge is this Saturday, I can't wait for that. We'll get to see the family, which hasn't seen me since I first told them. It'll be a fun day. Also, today is Grandma Fuge's birthday so, happy happy birthday!!!

How your baby's growing:Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Last minute notes, 8 days until Christmas and 28 days until Katelyn's EDD.

gifts & carseat

Brad came home yesterday from work with a gift box and inside were 2 cute outfits for Katelyn from a co-worker. She was so generous and sweet. The first outfit was a floral top and pants to match, the second was what Brad loved! It was a tiny track like suit in pink and had DeWeese Farms embroidered into the left chest area and had a red tractor on the bottom part of the pants. It was adorable! Here is a picture...
I asked a co-worker of mine who does wood burning in his free time to burn a design I had come up with that had Katelyn's name on it. He was more than willing to do it for me and I told him he would be payed of course, well he brought it to me on Friday and it was beautiful! He wouldn't let me pay him but I'm sure I'll find a way! I don't exactly know where we'll put it but we were thinking on the front of her door. I love how it turned out.
And last but not least Brad has installed Katelyn's carseat into my vehicle. He wanted to make sure everything fit correctly but we will also have it looked at by a professional, probably at the firehouse. Its weird to see back there! Time seems to be flying by so fast now!

Less than one month to go!

Yesterday I hit the one month mark so today I have 29 days until the due date. I'm feeling pretty good, there are a few things I don't like though. My back is a lot more sore nowadays and my feet are staying swollen. I'm still sleeping pretty good but I can't say the same for Brad, my third tri snoring is keeping him up and I feel so bad. I told him to nudge me but he's afraid to wake me!

Speaking of sleep, Brad said last night that Jasmine was sleeping with me but in a way that her head was on my stomach using it as a pillow! I wish I could've seen that!

Another update, I'm now on prednisone to help boost my platelet count to see if it will get to 100k. I wasn't to excited about that but I really want to have the option of an epidural and they can't give me one if its below that number, (it was 60k last time it was checked). Hopefully this will help.

Brad and I did our Christmas shopping this past weekend and practically got it all done! We just have a few more people to finish up and we're done. I was so happy about that because we didn't have any shopping started yet! I'm getting excited for Christmas! Also, while we were out we went to lunch and Katelyn started hiccuping! Its such a funny feeling. I absolutley love feeling her move around.

35 weeks

I'm 35 weeks today! Yay! Its crazy to think that in 2 weeks I'll be 37 and she can come at anytime after that. I'm hoping it'll be sometime after Christmas though. We'll see what she has planned!

Last night was our second Child Birth Prep class and we learned a lot in that class. We learned breathing techniques and practiced those for awhile. Brad told me I should practice those whenever I get the chance! We learned what would be easiest to do while contractions were coming and how to handle them, (along with the breathing). The biggest thing though was watching a real birth on video. Its quite amazing if not scary. I can't believe how much a woman can stretch out! Also, I saw a placenta for the first time... one word, gross! In next weeks class we will do a tour of the maternity section and I can't wait for that. One last thing, Brad insisted last night that I get my bag ready and packed for the hospital asap because you never know when she'll come! So thats next on my list of things to do!

How your baby's growing: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds, pick up a honeydew melon. Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

uncomfortable, heartburn

Over the past few days I've noticed that I'm increasingly becoming more uncomfortable. I hate bending down to put shoes on and getting up from any sitting/laying position is also getting harder. My hips are starting to hurt again. yay. My feet are off and on swollen, and I am making more frequent trips to the bathroom. I'm having a harder time sleeping also, because of my uncomfortableness and due to the frequent bathroom trips. Also, my heartburn seems to only be getting worse. I'll wake up in the middle of the night with it now, which is another reason for my not being able to sleep at night. I've never had heartburn until this pregnancy, and boy does it suck!

On the upside, I've been feeling hiccups again. Twice in the past five days. She makes me laugh. She also has been kicking a lot more, she's been missing my ribs so I'm thankful for that. Tonight is my second Childbirth Prep class and I think we'll be learning breathing techniques, so when Katelyn decides to come I'll be prepared!

34 weeks

Today I'm at 34 weeks. Its crazy how time flies. She's still kicking like crazy, reminding me everyday that she's still there. Like I could forget! Yesterday I had a regular checkup and Katelyn is measuring a little small but she's very healthy so its nothing to worry about. I had an ultrasound so I got to see her face which is an amazing thing to see. Last night Brad and I had our first Child Prep class at the hospital. It was fun and we got to learn a lot for our first class. He even wore a 25 lb. pack to see what it'd feel like to be pregnant. To bad we couldn't take it home so he could wear it for a week to really see how it feels!!! Anyways there are a lot of other interesting things that we learned, for example dilation, effacement, and station which are very important. Here's how the baby is growing...

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

2008 Christmas

The weekend after Thanksgiving Brad and I went out and cut down our tree. Its always a fun event and he even was looking ahead into the future talking about how next year when we do this Katelyn will be up on his shoulders helping us pick out a tree. It was sweet. Once we got it home and up in the living room he helped me put the lights on and decorate it. After that was finished I decorated the rest of the living room. Its so much fun to do and the look can change from year to year. Everything looks great and I'm so excited for Christmas, now we've just got to go out and buy for everyone!