Feeling Like A Goldfish

Everyone has been super sweet and supportive during this pregnancy- especially during the last few months. We have felt so loved and cared for by so many people and we are so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family.

However, lately I've been feeling like a goldfish. It started when the doctor took me off the medication for preterm labor. We were told we'd go into labor within a few days, but here we are, two weeks later and we're still hanging in there. I'm thankful we've made it this far and will not have to deal with the issues that come with a premie. These days I'm getting multiple calls, texts, and  messages daily- and they are all wanting to know the same thing- "Are we going to have a baby today?" I haven't been sleeping good lately, so I've been napping a lot throughout the day- this coupled with headaches and a general yucky feeling { hey, I'm 9 months pregnant, this is expected }. Thus, I'm just not up to all the calls. I know people are calling because they care, but it's been a bit overwhelming. My husband has even started getting calls/texts wanting to know the same thing. I've had my phones on silent lately, but then a whole new issue arises when I don't answer a call- they think we're in labor. I don't know what to do other than to thank everyone for their love and support, ask for a few days outside of the 'fish bowl',  and to promise that when the time comes everyone will know.

As the saying goes: A watched pot never boils!

38 Weeks

How Far Along? 38 weeks

Size of Mary Grace? According to thebump.com, sweet MG is weighing 6.2-9.2 lbs and is about the size of a pumpkin.

Maternity Clothes? Still with the yes and no…it’s whatever covers my belly these days. 

Weight Gain? At our appointment on Wednesday, I'd gained exactly 30 pounds.
Stretch Marks? None that I can see!
Gender? A sweet baby girl!   

Sleep? I've realized that you don't have to wait until the baby is here to experience a lack of sleep.

Food Cravings? Cherry Coke, cantaloupe, those chocolate covered marshmallow eggs that only come around at Easter, and cherry vanilla Blue Bell ice cream. I haven't had many cravings throughout this pregnancy, but for the last week or so my appetite has been making up for lost time!

What I Miss? Being able to do “normal” activities without getting tired,  coffee, running, and just feeling 'human'.

Symptoms? Loads of contractions (what else is new), swollen feet that at times resemble elephant feet, headaches, a few dizzy spells, and overall just exhausted.

Belly Button? Definitely an outie.

Best Moment of the Week? Hmm.... does the lack of heartburn the last few days count? 

 

 

In other news, I've had several people calling and checking on us after our little 'adventure' on Wednesday. I thought updating everyone on here would be easier than going through it over and over via phone/facebook.  At my appointment, my blood pressure was elevated- something I've never had an issue with. This, along with the swelling and headaches, was enough for us to be sent to Labor and Delivery for observation and lab work. The doctor wanted to make sure everything was fine, and it was! Our lab work came back good- no preeclampsia for me! We were told to just take it easy and rest to try and manage my blood pressure. So, that's what I'm doing these days- that and working on developing patience! I wish she'd hurry up and make her debut! 

I'm Pregnant and I Know It

 I came across this cute video this morning and thought I'd share it for all the pregnant women out there. If you're pregnant, or have ever been pregnant, you'll definitely relate to the lyrics. I know the "Tums by the nightstand" part is totally me right now {thanks to some lovely heartburn }. Anyways, it made this 37 week pregnant lady laugh.

Happy Friday! Enjoy :)

Catching Up

I have been such a slacker on the blogging front. I thought a new blog design would help motivate me to journal more- and it worked like a charm.

I posted some new entries, including the nursery reveal, but have backdated them for the sake of my journal. The links to these new posts are below.

Enjoy!

Babyland: The Nursery Reveal
Heirlooms
36 Week Update
Baby Bump: 34 Weeks
Maternity Photos

Babyland: The Nursery Reveal

I could not be happier with how the nursery turned out. We decided to keep the gray walls and go for a more neutral, soothing nursery. I know pink is part of having a little girl, but I'm not a big fan of it, so I went with more grays and creams.  We purchased the furniture, bedding, and a few of the decorative pieces from Woodstock Kids, located in Meridian, MS. Woodstock has always been our go-to place for furniture and accent pieces, and as usual they were unbelievably helpful when it came to outfitting the nursery.

 One of our sweet church friends brought us this cute wreath to hang on the front door.

 Looking in from the doorway.

 Close up of the bedding- the Grace collection from Bananafish.

 Her coming home gown I made for her!

 Looking toward her bathroom. { Notice the bellycast on the floor? :) }

 Her bathroom / linen closet.

 I stumbled upon some cute initial pictures made from button on Etsy. Rather than spending $60+ on one, I made my own for less than $8!

I know it's hard to see, but these are the curtains I made for her.

I am always in her room. I love to go and just sit in there, read stories to her, and dream of the day when she will finally be here!

Heirlooms

Unfortunately, I do not have any special items from when I was a baby that I can pass on to Mary Grace. I don't want that to be the case when she has children of her own. So throughout this pregnancy, I've tried to get a few pieces that will become heirlooms for her children and grandchildren.

The first item we picked out was her bassinet. I wanted an antique, but wasn't able to find one in good condition. I stumbled upon THIS bassinet from Pottery Barn that will definitely become a family heirloom piece. I am in love with her bassinet. I decided to go with the chocolate wicker (as opposed to white) and the chocolate piping on the bedding (rather than blue or pink).

Please excuse the wrinkled skirt which is in desperate need of ironing.

My favorite piece is by far the coming home gown I made for Mary Grace. I didn't want to just buy something, I wanted it to be special. The dress will double as her coming home outfit and the dress for her dedication at church. I decided to use a pattern for a smocked day gown that my dear friend, T, used for her daughter's coming home outfit. I cannot even begin to describe how much time and love went into making this dress. There was a time when things were scary and I didn't think I would be able to have her dress made in time. Thankfully, she decided to bake a while longer giving me time to make this special piece.

I'm finishing up the bonnet to go along with the dress. My baby bonnet was pretty neat- it had two stitches that I snipped on my wedding day, which turned my bonnet into my wedding handkerchief. I'm using my bonnet as a pattern to make one similar for Mary Grace, so she too will have that special item on her wedding day.

Bobby's grandmother gave us a wonderful family piece- a small rocking chair that belonged to his great-grandmother. It is the perfect size for Mary Grace to sit in and read books when she gets a little older. 

36 Week Update

We are officially 36 weeks. We had an appointment today and everything is sailing right along. We had our last ultrasound. So sad. The bright side to this whole ordeal has been seeing our sweet little girl each week on the ultrasound. Little Miss is weighing 7 lbs 7 oz, which is big for a 36 weeker. She's measuring two weeks ahead, so she's the size of a 38 weeker.

The doctor has taken me off the Procardia (medication to stop contractions / preterm labor) and bedrest. I can rejoin the land of the living! If she were to be born now, more than likely we would have a baby we could bring home, rather than her being sent to the NICU.  Now it's just a waiting game. The specialist thinks we will go into labor within a week or so of stopping the medication- he kept telling us we would not make it to April. I guess we'll find out! Little Miss may have  plans of her own and could decide to camp out in the womb a little while longer.

We are so very thankful that we've made it this far! Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us!
Now we just wait for sweet Mary Grace to make her grand entrance into the world!

Baby Bump: 34 Weeks

How Far Along? 34 weeks

Size of the Peanut? According to thebump.com, sweet pea is the size of a durian. However, according to the neonatal specialist, she's weighing in a bit bigger at 6 lbs!

Maternity Clothes? I’m working whatever covers my ginormous belly these days. All of my maternity shirts are long sleeved, and with temps in the mid 70's and even 80's, they just aren't cutting it. These days, I just dig through the hubby's t-shirts and put on whatever covers the bump! Since I'm on bedrest and have no need of better work attire, I'm planning to just make do from here on out.

Weight Gain? 24 pounds. I was fussed at a little at my appointment today for not gaining any weight during my last two weeks. In my defense, it's hard to eat when you're full after only 3 bits and then you suffer from heartburn for 3 hours!
Stretch Marks? I haven’t seen any...so we'll call that a no!
Gender? A sweet baby GIRL! 

Sleep? Sleep has been a tad better since my doctor gave the okay to take Unisom. I still wake up every hour to get a drink of water, or pee, or roll over (which is like trying to move Mt. Everest). The difference is that with Unisom, I'm able to go right back to sleep.

Food Cravings? Cantaloupe!

What I Miss? Everything from my “former life”…I feel like a walrus this week. The belly is no longer cute and manageable, it's now reached behemoth proportions and makes even the slightest movements difficult.

Symptoms? contractions (what else is new?), heartburn, and a general tiredness similar to that of my first trimester.

Belly Button?half in / half out

Best Moment of the Week?  Meeting our goal of 34 weeks! This has been a HUGE milestone for us! Finding out on Monday during an ultrasound that sweet pea has hair! I've been praying she would not be a bald baby!

Today is the Day

Today is a big day in the James house- we made it to our goal of 34 weeks! I remember laying in the bed back in January, crying my eyes out because I was so miserable, and wondering how in the world I was going to survive 7 more weeks on bedrest! I remember the fear that would fill my heart each time I had to get up, because I was so afraid I was going to go into labor. I remember being so afraid she would be born too early and either not make it, or have complications that would haunt her throughout her life.Time definitely went by slowly, but at last I'm here. Today we are thanking our sweet Savior for seeing us through this scary time.

We saw the specialist for the last time on Monday. At our last specialist appointment, sweet pea was weighing 4.5 lbs. On Monday she weighed 6 lbs. She's measuring 2 weeks ahead, which is partly due to the fact that I am borderline gestational diabetic. On the up side, measuring a bit big will work to her advantage since she will be early.

We saw our regular OB doctor today and everything is still looking good! The plan is to take me off bedrest and the medication for preterm labor at 36 weeks (2 weeks from today). Dr. Naef (the specialist) told us Monday that he expects me to go into labor within 2-3 days of stopping the medication. He said there is absolutely no way we will make it to our April due date, but by 36 weeks we will have a baby we can bring home, rather than her having to visit the NICU for a bit. On a side note, Mary Grace could have other plans for us. I could see us being that small percentage of women suffering from preterm labor that go past their due dates and require an induction. Wouldn't that be something?!?

Hence the time crunch, we are finishing up some last minute things before she arrives. Most everything is ready! The house was deep cleaned last week, the nursery is ready, Mary Grace's bag is packed, bottles are washed.... We're just waiting for her grand entrance! We  The hubby only has 3 things left on the honey-do list:

1. Clean/Wash the car and install the car seat.
    The hubby has been taking my car to work since I'm on bedrest. Needless to say, it's full of his stuff now!

2. Finish painting second set of closet doors for nursery and install them.

3. Pick up chair for nursery.
    We've already ordered our chair and the slipcover for it. It will arrive on Tuesday.

Our bags are packed and waiting by the door, just in case we don't make it another two (+)  weeks. We are getting more excited by the day! We cannot wait to meet this sweet little girl who has already changed our lives for the better in so many ways!

Check back tomorrow for an updated baby bump post and some sweet ultrasound pictures!