What a difference a year makes!

Exactly one year ago this week, I was up in Okoboji. I was on vacation from work and was enjoying every minute of it! I stayed up late into the night watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel by myself while I Googled everything there was to know about getting pregnant.

We had made the decision that we would start trying to/not prevent having a baby. So, I spent my extra hours of vacation downtime reading through online discussion boards about trying to conceive and about when the best time to get pregnant was and thinking about what it would be like to be pregnant and was totally, embarrassingly obsessed. It was one of those things that I would never tell anyone about in the moment because everyone - especially my husband - would have thought I was crazy! And I'm sure none of this 'research' really even made a difference other than to fulfill my desire to gather information and try to pass the time. You see, I'm not a very patient person, so the fact that we had decided that it was time for us to have a baby meant, for me, that it had to happen NOW!

And what do you know...?!? Exactly a year later, I was up in Okoboji again with a 2 and half month old in tow. I never could have imagined at that time how in love I could be with this little baby that I had dreamed about!

We are so blessed! God is so faithful and I thank Him every day for blessing us with the opportunity to raise one of His children!

Samuel's Newborn Pictures

We had Samuel's newborn pictures taken when he was 8 days old. Sarah Poppe, one of my friend's sister-in-law took them. She got some good pictures, but it took a lot of work to get them! We had 3 hours scheduled to take them and we spent an hour and a half of that time trying to get Samuel to sleep and not be fussy.

Good thing he's pretty cute - that made it a little easier to get some good ones!

Enjoy all the adorableness!

Samuel's Birth Story

Get ready for the long story of Samuel's birth! Such a long labor deserves a long story, I guess!

I'll start the story of Samuel's birth with our due date, which was Monday, August 17. That day came and went and we just continued to wait. 

We had an appointment on Tuesday the 18th, where I was checked to see how far along I was (I was 1 cm dilated - which is what I had been for the past month) and had a Non-Stress Test done to be sure baby was doing alright in my belly still. Everything looked good during the 20 minutes I was monitored, so we were just told to keep waiting, but the last major thing we did during our appointment was set an induction date, as my doctor said she wanted to get things going by the 41st week. We set our induction date for Thursday the 27th, when I would be 41 weeks 4 days, but my doctor was pretty optimistic that things would get going on their own before then.

I spent the next days as I had the past few weeks, trying to get things moving. I sat on a birth ball at night, stretched some, went on walks, etc. I'm not sure if any of it helped or did anything other than just tire me out, though. My body was pretty tired of being pregnant by that point!

I posted this picture below on Wednesday night, the 19th, on the August Birth Club group I am a part of on Facebook as a part of what I was hoping would be my last Hump Day Bump Day. (The picture on the left was taken at 38 weeks and the one on the right was exactly 2 weeks later when I was 40 weeks. It really shows how I got even bigger in those 2 weeks and even dropped a little, I think.) When I took these, I NEVER would have shared it with anyone else EVER, but now that I know there was an almost 12 pound baby in the belly, I am pretty proud of my body and what it could do!! So here's my 3 days-before-baby picture!! It seems like forever ago when I was so tired of lugging that big belly around!

38 weeks and 40 weeks

Thursday morning, the 20th, I woke up around 4:45 a.m. and didn't feel well. I was having slight cramping and my back hurt a little. I had some breakfast and then slept on the couch until I needed to get up to get ready for work. I thought about not going to work since I wasn't feeling well and really didn't want to think about putting real clothes on, but decided to just tough it out as I had some meetings and things to go to. I ended up going to work just until about noon and then decided to go home and rest because I still wasn't feeling any better. I stopped at Panera on my way home for some broccoli and cheese soup (because that's really all that sounded good) and then went home and napped for a few hours. Oatmeal was the food of choice for supper and then I just rested the rest of the evening until it was time to go to bed.

We got in bed around 10:45 or so but I never really slept. I kept thinking I was feeling very mild contractions but I wasn't quite sure if that's what they were. I spent the next few hours laying in bed and going back and forth to the bathroom. I tried to time a few 'contractions' but, from what I could tell, they were something like 1 and a half to 5 minutes long and 7 to 10 minutes apart. I just assumed that meant they weren't real contractions since they were so random and it might be something that I possibly have to deal with for a few days before it turns into real contractions. 

We had a doctor appointment scheduled for 9:40 on Friday morning, the 21st, and around 1:00 a.m. I remember thinking to myself that I only had to make it through 8 or so more hours of this uncomfortableness until I could go in and they could tell me if what I was feeling was anything productive.

A little before 1:30 a.m. I had just gotten back in bed after one of the many trips to the bathroom and Trent woke up (he had been sleeping through all the previous times) and asked me how I was doing. I told him I hadn't really slept and thought I could possibly be having contractions or something. I rolled over onto my side and felt a sharper than normal pain in my abdomen that lasted a second or two and then the pain released and then I could feel liquid start coming out. I told Trent I thought my water just broke and to get a towel. I tried not to move until he got back with a towel and then when I stood up out of bed, the water really gushed out. It was totally a strange feeling. 

Soon after that, I called the doctor. She said we should make our way in to the hospital, so we went around gathering the bags we had packed and the few things we couldn't pack until it was time to go and loaded up the car. At this point, I was super confident that our baby's birthday would be August 21st (since there was 22 hours left in the day and all)... Oh Silly Kendra!!

I made the mistake of thinking that when my water broke, that all the water that was going to come out was already out, but when we got to the stoplight where you turn in to the hospital, it was like my water broke all over again. All over my pants and the seat of the car... Real lovely. So there I was, standing in the ER entrance feeling like I had just gotten done swimming with pants on... I was sure I had lost 5 pounds of just water by that point :)

They came down from labor and delivery to get me. They asked if I could walk up there and I said yes but then when I told them my pants were soaking wet, they got me a wheel chair. The walking would have been good, but I'm sure I would have been a safety hazard with the trail of water I would have left behind!

It was about 2:30 a.m. when we got up to our labor and delivery room. They hooked up to the monitors so they could do their initial checks to see how baby and I were doing. I think it was probably about an hour that I laid there while we did different paperwork stuff and gave them information they needed, etc. They checked me to see how far along I was and I was now at 3 cm at that point. This is also when we called our parents to let them know we were at the hospital and were having a baby! Soon after we talked to them, they all headed towards Omaha as well.

When all the checking and administrative stuff was over, we were set free to do what we wanted until they wanted me back to be monitored again. I want to say it was about once an hour that I had to be back to check in baby's heartbeat and my contractions and blood pressure, etc. We mostly just walked the halls in those first hours. Trent kept reminding me to walk like I meant it! Fairly early on, it seemed, I would have to stop during contractions and wait for them to pass. I attempted to squat or stretch through them, but I probably didn't do that enough! After a few hours of walking the halls, my feet started hurting, so we spent some time in the room sitting on the birth ball and hanging out around our room trying to make some progress there. 

They really make sure all the moms labor in style, don't you think! :)

All this time, I was having back pain with my contractions. I wasn't convinced at first that it was back labor because I knew from the class we took that back pain was common at the beginning of labor, but that pain never went away. I tried laboring on all fours to get baby to turn and take the pressure off by back and we also tried counter pressure, the hip squeeze, etc. but nothing really seemed to help. The most it did was make it so that it didn't hurt across my whole back but only on the right side. Every time I got onto all fours to try to get him to turn, it would bring on a contraction that would hurt quite badly, so as the day went on, it took some convincing for me to even want to try it again. I also ended up with bruises on my lower back from all the counter pressure that Trent did throughout the day that hurt even in the days after labor was over.

After I was dilated past 5 or 6 centimeters, I got into the jacuzzi tub for a while. It did help things feel a little better for a while, but it couldn't take away the back pain completely.

I tried to stay focused all the time on relaxing my body and allowing my body to open and work with my baby to get him out, but I'm not sure I was always successful, especially after I had been at it for so long. It seemed that any big movement I made would bring on a really uncomfortable contraction - mostly very uncomfortable in my back. So whether I was trying to lay on my side, get on to all fours, sit on the toilet, get in or out of the jacuzzi, get out of bed, etc., I really tried to move as slowly and gingerly as possible to try to keep the contraction from starting, but it would always come - and it was NOT fun. I also did make a lot of noises during labor (the kind of ones we all smirked at in the birth videos from class because they sounded so ridiculous). I moaned and hummed and groaned quite a bit. Trent told me after the fact that he wanted to laugh at me a few times because of the noises I was making, but I really didn't care one ounce in the moment. I just wanted something to help take the discomfort away and for it all to be over! :) 

After I had been at 8 cm for quite a while and got in the tub again, I really started to worry about being able to get the baby out. I was hitting my breaking point and was starting to break down during some of the contractions and really just wanted to cry. I started to think about getting an epidural to help make it through, but didn't want to be one of "those people" that gave up and gave in. (Honestly, I did have thoughts like "Just cut me open and get this baby out" but I never said that out loud because I knew I really didn't want that!)

It was about 6:30 p.m. or so now when I got back out of the tub to get checked again and my Dr. stopped by to chat. She then brought up the fact that she thought I should get an epidural to help me relax so I could hopefully progress more since I had been at it about 17 hours by this point and had been at 8 cm for the last 6 hours. I agreed to the epidural and it made me feel a little better that someone else brought it up and thought it would be necessary.

I had to work through a few more contractions as we waited for the IV fluids to get into my body and for the anesthesiologist to come. I was not looking forward to the whole epidural process, as I really dislike needles and the thought of them putting things into my spine really freaked me out. Thankfully, the anesthesiologist was very nice and very good at his job and I really didn't feel much at all - just a little bit of a strange feeling - like water dripping down the lower part of my spine when he got it in there. I definitely made sure to sit very still so I didn't mess him up at all!

It took about 3 contractions (15 minutesish) for the epidural to kick in. I was very surprised by the fact that I could still feel and move my legs the entire time. It was definitely not what I had thought it would be like... By 7:45, I was definitely able to relax a lot more and Trent and I had a chance to nap and rest for a few hours (Trent said I was snoring at one point while I was sleeping) which was very welcomed since we had both only slept a few hours out of the last 36 at that point. 

When they did the epidural, they also started pitocin to try and get my contractions to become shorter, closer together, and more consistent. We started with a really low dose and then increased it as needed after seeing there if there was any progress or change in my contractions. Over the next 4 hours, we had to keep upping the pitocin because my contractions never did get any closer together (they were still about 2 minutes long and 5ish minutes apart even with the pitocin - that's pretty long and far apart for contractions to be at the point of labor that I was at). Luckily, though, even with those kind of contractions, I was making progress.

Around 11:30, a different doctor (not my own) came in and checked me and said that I was complete. My nurse called to tell my doctor the news and she said she'd come in to see us. When she got to our room she told us that she was just about to head our way anyway and have "a talk" - meaning she was going to suggest that we go ahead and do a C section since it was taking so long and I was getting dangerously close to the dreaded 24 hour deadline that doctors place on delivering after your water breaks.

I am SO happy with the timing of the way things went because I know I would have been so crushed to hear her say that she wanted me to have a C section. I am not sure if we would have gone along with it or not, but I'm glad we didn't have to make that decision. The fact that I did become fully dilated and the fact that the baby did come vaginally is just proof that there wasn't a reason to do a C section (even though it was hard work and it did hurt to get him out!)

So, after all that, I finally started to push around midnight. My labor experience was now into its third day! I was happy to hear that the baby was fairly low in my pelvis by that point when I was getting ready to push. That made me hopeful that it would make the pushing a little easier... To start, they put the squat bar on the bed and I started pushing by leaning back a little and pulling on a sheet that was wrapped around the squat bar. We did that through two contractions before we tried something different because that didn't seem to be very productive. Next, a nurse and Trent each had one of my legs while I pushed against them and focused on pushing the baby down and out (just like you see on the movies). I would push at least three times during each contraction as they counted to ten. Eventually I started pushing more times each contraction since mine were so long.

After a while, I started getting cramps in my thighs from holding my legs up so we switched to pushing on all fours. It was nice to give my legs a rest but I wasn't as good at pushing that way. Eventually, when I moved back to pushing on my back, they asked me if I wanted to get the mirror out so I could see what was going on 'down there' as I was pushing. I had always said that there'd be absolutely no way I wanted to see what was going on down there as I was pushing, but they convinced me to set it out by saying it can be quite the motivator. I have to say they were right - it did motivate me to push even harder when I could see our baby's head crowning as I was pushing.

As we were getting towards the end, it was hurting pretty bad to wait between contractions to push again. I remember, after the second to last contraction, being very exhausted and wanting to cry and telling Trent that I really wanted that one to be the end of it! I was starting to feel like he was never going to come out! With the final contraction that got our baby out I think I must have pushed 5 or 6 times in a row - even after the contraction was over. I just wanted that baby out and I didn't want to wait any more!

Finally, at 1:57 a.m. on Saturday, he was born weighing in at 11 lb 11 oz! (Our Dr. said he was a record baby for her) I didn't see him actually come out in the mirror - I must have had my eyes closed or my head back or something. I was just filled with a feeling of relief and happiness (and pain) at that moment. I remember everyone in the room saying he was out and Trent telling me he was a boy (I wasn't surprised at all - I knew it!) and, after a few seconds, them handing him to me - he was so big! The feeling of his skin on mine, the sound of him crying, seeing how excited Trent was, and the relief of that all being over was pretty amazing (I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it).

Our son, Samuel Davey Fredericksen!!

We did skin to skin for a while and I also breastfed for a bit while I delivered the placenta and the doctor stitched me up. The stitching and the kneading of my abdomen wasn't my favorite thing, but I at least had a baby to be distracted by at that point. They did take Samuel from me after a little while to look at him because he sounded kind of raspy, but then they brought him back to me again to hold and continue skin to skin after they determined he was alright. I ordered food (chicken noodle soup and a cheese sandwich!) while I was holding him and it came and I ate it after they took Samuel to the other side of the room to start doing what they needed to do as far as tests and checking him.

When they were doing what they needed to do, Trent went to go get our parents. We had called them at about 3 a.m. on Friday and they all headed to Omaha right away and had been at the hospital since 6 a.m. waiting for Samuel to arrive. It was now about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, so they put in quite a day as well! It was so fun to have them there to meet him so soon after he had arrived!

Grandparents getting their first glimpse of Samuel!

Overall, it was the best but the most challenging experience of my life. I have looked back at the experience in the days after and I think 1) I NEVER want to do that again (nor do I think I could do that again) and 2) That was the most amazing thing and I can't wait to experience it again. (I do think that I would have a slightly different view on the day if he had not been almost 12 lbs, though.) It is such an awesome feeling to be there in the labor and delivery room and know that you're there to have a baby. It just feels so special and I would love to feel that again. (I'm not going to get too far ahead of myself, though, I've gotta recover from this one first!)

In the end, despite the challenges, the whole thing was perfect because Samuel is here and he's healthy and perfect!! 

We are so in love!!
Our family of three!

A few thoughts about how it all went and my epidural:
Things definitely didn't go as planned - I had planned to have a natural labor with no drugs and definitely didn't plan to be in labor for over 24 hours. Of course, I was aware of possibly needing to change that plan if things went wrong for some reason or if I or our baby was in danger, but I was 100% optimistic about being able to do it without any pain medication and knew that I was confident and stubborn enough to go through with it. 
But then, 18 hours in, I did choose to change the plan. I was a little sad about things not going according to plan and "giving in" but that sadness went away within about 5 minutes of making the decision to get an epidural. I was just so tired and spent!
The epidural was nothing like I had thought it would be like. It didn't hurt to get it, I was always able to feel and move my legs while I had it, and I really didn't notice any affect it had on Samuel right after he was born (though I do realize I don't have another newly born baby to compare him to). One of the big reasons that I didn't want to get one was because I wanted to be able to get up and move around during labor to help my body progress and get the baby in the right position and I wanted to be able to do the same again right after he was born. Neither of those concerns ended up being an issue. Because my labor was so long, I had 18 hours of being able to move around and help work with him to get him out of me, so being confined to a bed because of the epidural wasn't an issue. I think he was just big enough and caused enough pain in my back that I wasn't able to relax anymore and let the contractions work. After I got the epidural, I needed to just sleep and rest anyway, so I was thankfully just able to lay there and let my body do it's own work and didn't need to be moving around. I was also able to successfully change positions to push when I had the epidural (something I also didn't think I'd be able to do), so that wasn't a problem either. And, after labor, I didn't want to get up and walk around anyway, so who cares if I couldn't!! The next morning (which really was only a few hours after we got to the Mother/Baby room), when we went to the nursery to see Samuel where he was getting some tests done, I had to be pushed in a wheel chair because I about passed out when I tried to walk. I don't really think that was epidural related, though, as I think it was just my body being super exhausted after a super long day! (And being pushed in a wheel chair isn't really a bad thing haha) And, lastly, I'm just glad I had the epidural because I don't want to even think about how much more it would have hurt to push out my big baby without it being numbed a little! Oh, and the stitching up afterwards... I don't even want to think about that either!

I know that not all experiences with epidurals were as pleasant as mine and I definitely think that they can mess up the natural process that your body is meant to do and should not always be used like they are in America currently, but I do think that there is a very good place for them. I am fairly confident that getting the epidural saved me from being forced to or choosing to have a C section because I don't think that I could have relaxed enough to get to the point to be able to push without it. If there is a next time, I don't necessarily think that I'll go into it with the mindset that I will get an epidural, but I definitely have changed my thoughts about them and am thankful that I had that option.

Baby Fred - 40 Weeks!

Date: 
August 17, 2015 - The Due Date!!

How far along:
40 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
As many days as baby chooses, I guess!

Baby size:
A Pumpkin
Approximately 20+ inches

Baby milestones: 
She should be just about done in there, I would think!!

Maternity clothes: 
YES... I've outgrown all of my shirts now... This weekend I accidentally shrunk my one shirt that was long enough that I didn't have to worry about my belly hanging out the bottom. So that's fun...

Stretch marks: 
You betcha...

Have you started to show yet: 
Affirmative

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
Same ol'... A huge belly, a bit of a sore back, sore fingers, larger than normal feet and fingers, and a sore pelvis. I haven't had any real bad heartburn, acid reflux or breathing problems when I sleep for the past few weeks, so that's good! I'm excited to give my body a bit of a break here pretty soon, though!

Movement:
She's still moving around in there, letting me know she's having a great time right where she is...

Labor signs: 
I've got nothin...

Mood: 
I'm in a good mood, I just tend to get a little frustrated at times, but it's only my due date, so it's not like I have a ton to be frustrated/discouraged about yet!

Sleep: 
It's not bad other than being really sore when I get out of bed. It takes a little convincing to get myself to muster up the energy to get myself rolled over or sitting up so I can get out of bed. And that happens at least 3 times throughout the night and then in the morning, so that's super fun.

Dreams: 
I had one last Tuesday that our baby was going to be born on the 14th and that it was a boy. Obviously that dream didn't come true!! :)

Miss anything: 
Not being in pain or feeling like I have to pee every time I walk. Having clothes to wear. Being comfortable wearing pants...

Gender prediction: 
Boy

Names: 
Same story - We have names, but middle names aren't 100% decided.

Best moment of the week: 
Same story here. We're just living every day anticipating our baby's arrival, so there's nothing too exciting going on. We worked like normal during the week and then spent the weekend at home. We went out to eat on Friday night. Another "last date" perhaps - I think we've had several "last dates" by now. (I think of everything as possibly being my last before baby comes... last meal, last time washing my hair, last day at work, last time getting gas, last time seeing our families, last weekend, last time peeing in a cup at the Dr's office with this big belly (never knew that'd get to be such a hard task) etc... so far none of them have been the true last.) On Saturday, I slept in again and then I tried to stay active during the afternoon on Saturday to try to get baby moving towards the exit, but I'm not so sure it did anything other than wear me out. I went and got my "last pedicure" (I thought the one before that was going to be the last) and then picked up Chipotle for supper and we watched "What to Expect When You're Expecting". Sunday, I was super lazy and watched a lot of Criminal Minds and Forensic Files... I went on about a mile walk in the evening and did some stretching and sitting on the exercise ball as well, so hopefully baby is getting the hint that we're ready!! I can't wait for my "best moment of the week" to be that baby has come!

Nursery Things:
Nothing going on in there... The room is just waiting for its occupant to arrive.

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!! Sometimes when I feel her little heel or something stick out of my belly, I imagine what it will look like when she's really out here and we can see her for real! I can't wait to hold our little baby!!

Other things: 
At our appointment last Friday, baby's heartbeat was 160, which was a lot faster than normal. The doctor said it was probably because baby was moving and then we could hear it slow down again, but she didn't give us a new number. I'm assuming it's the same mid to high 140s.

Baby Fred - 39 Weeks!

Look at that belly!! That shirt sure is getting a work out!

Date:
August 10, 2015

How far along:
39 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
SEVEN DAYS!!! (ish)

Baby size:
Watermelon (they said "mini-watermelon" in the weekly email... but I think we've got a full grown one!!)
Approximately 20+ inches

Baby milestones: 
She is continuing to build a layer of fat to help control her body temp after birth.

Maternity clothes: 
YES

Stretch marks: 
Yep. It looks like my belly is going to burst open right above my belly button now, too. Trent assured me last night that that isn't going to happen (but he did say it'd be pretty gross if it did), so I hope he's right :)

Have you started to show yet: 
Affirmative

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
The biggest symptom I have of being pregnant is a giant belly! That has caused some back pain in the last few weeks. The cramping and tightening that I feel in my belly has really picked up in the past few days, and I am soooo hoping that it's a positive sign of things to come! I'm still having finger pain at night and my feet got pretty swollen again at the end of last week, but they deflated over the weekend since I was able to stay off them for longer periods of time.

Movement:
Still moving around in there and trying to show off her legs and arms by sticking them out of my belly!

Labor signs: 
I couldn't tell you what's a real labor sign or not, but in the past 24 hours, the cramps and tightening have been more of a pain than just a pressure... so maybe that's something?

Mood: 
Just fabulous!

Sleep: 
I still get up at least 3 times a night to go to the bathroom and flip over to my other side. I'm pretty stiff and sore when I get out of bed, but I just need to walk it off usually.

Dreams: 
I had a dream on Saturday night that I don't remember much of but I told Trent that I thought our baby was in it and wearing a Nebraska shirt. He assured me that our baby would never wear a Husker's shirt in real life, though :)

Miss anything: 

The space between my crotch (sorry if that's a bad word!) and my stomach where my pants used to sit comfortably!
Being able to get up off the couch without having to scoot forward a few times and really push myself up with my arms! And I miss being able to just throw on a t-shirt to wear around the house... my belly hangs out of all of mine and Trent's t-shirts.

Gender prediction: 
Boy

Names: 
We have our girl and boy name and we have two middle name options for each one right now as well.

Have you told family and friends: 
Yep - Everyone knows!

Best moment of the week: 
Nothing too exciting happened this week (other than I had a flat tire last Tuesday, so I got to be that helpless pregnant lady standing by her car in the parking garage waiting for her husband and a tire-fixer-guy to come to her rescue while everyone in the area came by to ask if I needed help... good times) -  it was another week just waiting to have a baby!! We had another nice weekend at home together. We really are trying to enjoy our time together and I really am trying to relax before this baby decides to make his or her entrance into the world. Friday night we made a trip to the grocery store together and then Saturday night we watched two movies (A Million Ways to Die in the West and Top Gun) and had popcorn with M&Ms. We slept in both Saturday and Sunday and got a few little things done around the house. Even though part of me would love to be out and about doing something with our free time, it's been nice to just be able to hang out and rest as well!
Who knows, maybe that was our last weekend without a child for the rest.of.our.lives!!!

Nursery Things:
Nothing happened in the nursery this week. It's as done as it can be!
Mattie has enjoyed hanging out in the chair in the nursery as she's waiting for a new sibling as well!

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!!
Hoping this is my last Monday at work for a while! We shall see!

Other things: 
At our appointment last Friday, baby's heartbeat was between 144 and 147. 

Baby Fred - 38 Weeks!

How far along:
38 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
2 Weeks!

Baby size:
Pumpkin
Approximately 18.9-20.9 inches

Baby milestones: 
She may have an inch or so of hair (I'm hoping our baby has hair!), she has been working on her grip (can't wait for little baby finger holding!) and her organs are most likely fully developed and ready for life outside the womb.

Maternity clothes: 
Same ol' thing here... of course I'm wearing maternity clothes

Stretch marks: 
You betcha... I don't see how they could have been avoided with how big my belly is! (especially the part below my belly button now that baby has dropped down there)

Have you started to show yet: 
Uh... ya. Why do I keep asking myself this question?!?

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
I don't feel like I've had as many Braxton Hicks this past week (but what do I know). The only time I've noticed them is if I've been up and moving around too much or if I have to pee... My fingers are still hurting at night and then some days as well when I straighten them out. My back hurts some when I get up and walk and when I wake up in the morning (and in the middle of the night) it takes a little while for me to be able to walk straight.
I hate to talk about things that are negative about this pregnancy, but I'm just being honest... I know it's all going to be worth it in the end. I guess if there's a next time that I'm pregnant, I will try to do things a little different to see if that helps... who knows, though.
This is pretty much what I think (and I wouldn't even classify how I feel as "feeling like crap":

Movement:
She goes pretty crazy at times and my belly really moves a lot. I think that sometimes it probably is noticeable to people sitting around me in meetings at work and stuff. There are times where it has started to hurt when she moves, it even surprises me sometimes and I think I make funny faces because of it, She also gets her feet up in my ribs at times as well! I still don't think I'm used to feeling her move in there!

Labor signs: 
I don't feel like there have been any unfortunately.

Mood: 
Good for the most part. I let myself get discouraged at times that the baby isn't here yet, but then I remember that I really am only 38 weeks along and it's not time yet, so I just need to cool my jets!

Sleep: 
I, thankfully, got to sleep a lot this weekend, which was nice. It made going to sleep on Sunday night not so easy, though... so when that happens, I just go hang out with the dogs in the living room and read and bounce on the birth ball for a while... I have a little bit of trouble with some restless leg syndrome at times and I have the weird breathing issues keeps me from sleeping as well, but it hasn't been too bad. By the end of the week, I usually can sleep pretty well cuz I'm so tired except for the whole getting up at least 3 times to pee.

Dreams: 
Nothing baby related that I remember, but I had one on Friday night where I was doing something with recording equipment and then when we were done doing whatever it was we were doing in the dream, Kellsey wanted to sing "A Whole New World" from Aladdin with me. I woke up before I found out if I was going to sing the girl or the boy part - I'm sure she was going to make me sing the boy part, though!

Gender prediction: 
I think it just HAS to be a boy... I seriously will be surprised if it's a girl!

Names: 
We still haven't talked about it for a while, but I think we have it pretty narrowed down to one boy name and two possible girl names.

Best moment of the week: 
Nothing too exciting happened this week. We're just patiently waiting :)

My mom came on Friday night for a while and we went out to eat at Tanner's (I've wanted some chicken strips and cheese balls ever since I saw in the Westside Socials that my mom, brother and Kenzie went to Bloomer's in Carroll for Kenzie's bday a few weeks ago) before going to Hallmark and getting a baby book (which I think is the last thing on my list to get!!) and doing some other little shopping.
She also brought a few things that my aunt had made and/or printed for the nursery, so we got those hung up!

Saturday we had a nice unplanned visit from Mel and Russ and the girls! They had been out hiking in the morning in the Loess hills and so they stopped by. It was fun to hear about their trip and see them one last time before baby comes! I love talking with Taylor and Jenna about the baby and about whether it's going to be a boy or a girl and what they think we should name the baby! Jenna sat on my lap for a while (after I assured her there was room and I wouldn't let her squish the baby) and she would put her hand on my belly and told me she could feel the baby kicking. Jenna also told me that she liked my belly and it had grown since the last time she saw me (which it very much has!) Makes me smile! I can't wait for them to meet their new cousin!!
It was also nice to relax most of the rest of the weekend (even though I'm about over staying home every weekend since this is our third one in a row... it's so unlike us but I'm sure Trent is loving it!). We slept in late both days and just hung out around home. It got pretty old by the end of Sunday, but it was still nice. We, unfortulately, had to miss the Bell Reunion this year due to my pregnant state... the whole traveling when the baby really could come at any time and the fact that it was SO.HOT and the reality that I probably would have gotten pretty worn out made up our decision to stay home. I think this is maaayy be the 3rd Bell Reunion I've missed in all my 28 years (and that might be a high number) so it was sad to think about not being there. But NEXT YEAR we'll be there with our little one! :) Who knows, it may even be her birthday when we're there!

Nursery Things:
No big changes. We just got two more things put into frames in the room and continue to wait! :)

My Aunt Doreen made the print above from 1 Samuel and then I got the heartbeat print made from a seller on Etsy of the baby's heartbeat from our 36 week appointment. After the baby is born, we'll get it reprinted in a color depending on whether it's a boy or a girl.

Looking forward to: 
Having a baby!! Someday soon...

Baby Fred - 37 Weeks!

Date:
July 27, 2015

How far along:
37 Weeks!!

How many weeks to go: 
3 Weeks! (or less, I'm guessing!)

Baby size:
Winter Melon (WTH is that?) or a large cantaloupe
18.9-20 inches long

Baby milestones: 
She's considered "full term" now and is just in there practicing her skills of inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking. (We saw baby practicing breathing during the ultrasound last Friday!)

Maternity clothes: 
It goes like this... I wake up for work, put on one of the three maternity dresses that I have or force myself to put on pants (this only happens once a week... maaaybe twice) I go to work and sometimes put on nice shoes, but end up wearing my Nike flip flops most of the day - especially if I'm not going to see any of my superiors. I come home - If I'm wearing a dress, I might just keep it on for the evening, otherwise I change into yoga pants or my PJs and a shirt... one that may or may not cover my stomach at all times... When it's time for bed, I wear my PJ pants (most of the time - sometimes I just say 'screw the pants' altogether) and a light shirt to bed, which usually doesn't stay over my belly most of the night... wake up and repeat. 98% of my closet doesn't get worn right now. It's sad.

Stretch marks: 
Still there and multiplying...

Have you started to show yet: 
Showing it off for everyone to see! 

Belly button in or out: 
Out

Symptoms: 
Random tightening of my belly (contractions, maybe?) stronger at some times more than others... still have pain in my fingers throughout the day and it's definitely worse at night (which is what they say is common), my feet aren't normal size, but I'm still able to get them to deflate if I stay off them, which is a slight bright spot!

Movement:
Yep - she stays pretty active in there most of the time. She was pretty still for a while on Sunday which I let freak me out a little (and I made the mistake of getting Trent freaked out as well) but after laying down and eating and doing some kick counts, she was back at it. She must have just needed a little nap ;)

Labor signs:
 I don't know what you consider a "labor sign" at this point... I don't feel like there's anything, but maybe some of these Braxton Hicks are doing some good and getting us closer to meeting this baby!

Mood: 
Pretty good, I think. There's plenty I could complain about, but I hope I'm doing a pretty good job of not being a whiner! 

Sleep: 
I have a feeling that it's going to be a good 10-15 years before I'm able to have the same relationship with sleep that I did just a few months ago! I used to LOVE sleep and loved sleeping in, but it's just not the same anymore! I have troubles getting to sleep a few nights a week and have started to get a little restless leg syndrome stuff going on occasionally. And I don't like that at all! I have to get up every few hours just to turn over (which is a lot of work these days) or to go to the bathroom. And I can't really sleep in because I am pretty hungry by the time morning rolls around. And then, during the day, I get so tired at times that all I want to do is take a nap! If only I could just sleep at night and then I wouldn't have to be so tired during the day! :) Luckily we've been having some pretty low-key weekends that are good for sleeping as much as I can in the morning and then taking naps in the afternoon, if needed! So I'll just keep taking advantage of those as long as I can!

Dreams: 
Saturday night, I had a dream that I was in labor at the hospital. I don't remember much about it other than there was a big black snail there and I was trying to get it or kill it or something. And then when I told Trent about the snail, he told me that he wished it was a tan snail... Whatever that means!
When I woke up, I kept thinking/hoping that was a sign, but obviously it wasn't :)

Miss anything: 
Not having back pain, being able to fit into more clothes, and just not hurting when I'm walking around.

Gender prediction: 
I really can't change my answer now, so I'm going to stay with boy. But I can't wait to find out!

Names: 
We haven't talked about them much this week. I think we're still pretty set on first names (we might have two girl options at this point) and middle names are still to be decided, but I have my top picks for those, too.

Best moment of the week: 
The best moment of the week was probably seeing our baby one last time by ultrasound. It's pretty crazy how much the baby has grown since our 20 week ultrasound. At that time, they could get the baby's whole body on the screen and we were able to see all of her at once. Now, they aren't even really able to get the baby's whole face on the screen!
The pictures that we did get of the baby's face were pretty comical this time. Baby looked pretty grumpy!! If she's really that unhappy in there, she should just come out and be with us, I guess!! ;)

The weekend that we had was also pretty great, in my opinion. We had another nice weekend at home getting things prepared. We had a list of things we wanted to get done and I am pretty sure we got it all finished! Trent washed and sanitized all the bottles and things. I got my pump on Friday, so I washed and sanitized everything that came with that. We cleaned the bathrooms so Trent could move back into our master bath when the time came for us to have guests and we cleaned and got the guest rooms ready for company! I got pretty worn out with all the cleaning, which made for a not-so-fun day the next day, but I'll be alright!
Trent also got the car seat put in the car. It's still strange to look in my rear view mirror and see it back there! :)

We found time on Saturday to go to see Ant Man in the theater. It was a good movie! And then we went to eat at Chipotle. (I think I could eat there every day... or at least several times a week!)

Nursery Things:
I think that we're as ready as we can be in the nursery now! I got everything hung up on the walls and all the clothes that we have is washed and put away. Now we just need a baby to go with the room.
There are a few frames that are still empty because I'm either waiting to receive what I am going to put in them or because they are going to have pictures of the baby in them, but the hard part of getting them hung straight on the wall is done. Now it should be pretty easy to put whatever needs to go in the frames in there and then put them right back in their place!

Here's the book ledge wall all done:

Below is a cross stitched prayer that my mom made when my sister was a baby (she's pretty sure that's when she made it anyway!) and I can remember it hanging up in my room pretty much my whole life. I had it reframed to go in our baby's room and just got it back this weekend and hung it up right away. I love having it in the room! The frame ended up costing more than I wanted to spend, but if it stays framed and used for another 30 years or so, I'd say it was a pretty good investment!

And here's the whole wall that you see when you walk in the room: 

Looking forward to: 
Meeting our baby whenever he or she decides to join us!

Also looking forward to wrapping up our birth class on Wednesday and having weekly appointments now!

Other things: 
At our ultrasound, the tech told us that our baby was estimated to be about 9lb 6oz or so, which is crazy! That means that the baby would have grown about 4lbs since our last ultrasound 4 weeks ago. The measurements obviously aren't a fact, but it sure does get everyone all riled up! (I really don't see how the baby could have gained 4lbs in 4 weeks because that's pretty much how much I've gained in 4 weeks, so that would mean that I would have had to gain all baby... doubtful)
After the ultrasound, we had our regular appointment. Baby's heartbeat was in the high 140s and then shot up to the 150s as she was moving around! (During the ultrasound, the heartbeat was in the 130s, which is the lowest it's been the whole pregnancy!)