Lily predictions

I've decided when babies are still in your tummy they already have big personalities! While already getting to know Lily in my tummy and just doing some daydreaming, Sean and I have come up with a few predictions we have for Lily...of course these don't have to be serious, just for fun!...heck- I thought she was a boy from the beginning! 

1) Lily will be born on October 5th. Sean had this date on his calendar since we lived in Arizona (over 2 years ago!) It is the date of a big football game: ASU vs. Notre Dame playing at the Cowboy's stadium in Arlington. He says Lily will have the timing of her mommy and interrupt his sports time :) 

2)Lily will have red hair and blue eyes...we'll see :) 

3)Lily will be small- 5 to 6 pounds (despite many church members telling me I am huge and will have a  9 pound baby!) By the way, I think a good rule of thumb for talking to a pregnant woman is "Don't say anything you wouldn't say to a NON-pregnant woman"

4) Lily will be an athlete. We're thinking softball, volleyball, runner, dancer...something

5)Lily will enjoy music and be good at it but not want to do it as a career. 

Can't think of anything else right now, but she will be who God created her to be- her own person. She is already loved by many and has changed our whole world!

34 weeks!

I've reached 34 weeks! At this point, Dr. P. says if Lily tries to come now, they won't do anything to stop labor! Lets hope she stays in there a few more weeks so her lungs and brain continue to develop...and so we can celebrate at the baby shower next weekend! 

click here to see my belly grow!

I have been working about 1/2 my hours starting this week, so I FINALLY feel like I have some down time to get things done at home, read and research baby things, shop online (duh!), and go for walks in the morning. This is what I get to see every morning! I can't even count the total number of deer I see in one outing- they  LOVE Summer time! It is so fun and peaceful to see them :)

Lily's nursery is pretty much ready- here is a sneak peak! 

Another view...notice she has a cow costume and a handful of other outfits- if you feel like buying baby clothing we could use some! haha!

Here is the diaper station! We have a few disposables to help get us started- and we're NOT opposed to anyone who wants to buy us more :) But we're also going to try cloth diapers! That is what is hanging on the door :)

Lily's crib :) 

Lily's car seat with mirror attached so we can see her while driving. It is a little hard for me to see because I am short, but we're figuring it out. The bear is pretend Lily for now. 

What else is going on at 34 weeks?

-Nesting: I guess you could say I am nesting...but I feel like it is more out of necessity than some weird 3rd trimester symptom. I just feel like there is so much to do or read! 

-Kick Counts: At this point in pregnancy, mom is supposed to count the number of movements felt in one hour, twice per day. You're supposed to feel 10. I do this occasionally, but Lily will sometimes get to 10 within less than one minute!

-Hospital Tour: We went on a tour of the hospital to conclude our birthing classes at the hospital last night. All of the couples made it all the way through the class without having a baby early! The labor and delivery rooms are HUGE and really nice. After you're there for a little bit, you and family are transferred to "couplet care" for a 24 hour observation period. These rooms are nice as well. Each room from triage to labor/delivery to couplet care has a private bed and bath! It is supplied with linens and snacks for mom and dad, you control the temperature and lighting in your room, etc...really nice stuff! We also got to see a c-section room (hopefully won't be needing that!), and the nursery...even got to see a newborn in it! When you take the long walk (I'll be in a wheel chair) from L&D to couplet care, you get to "press the panda bear's nose" which then plays a lullaby throughout the entire hospital signaling to everyone a baby has just been born! Some of my friends who are doctors or therapists have told me about this :) Then we squeezed all 6-8 pregnant women and their husbands in the elevator, went downstairs, and were dismissed from the last class...guess we're ready! We celebrated our last class/first day of Sean's new job at the HS by going to eat some yummy asian food :) 

-Weird Questions/Comments: I guess the weirdest question I get asked about once per week is "So how big is your baby?"...guys- I won't know that answer until she comes out! sorry!

Work winding down

I just completed invoices for the 39 kiddos I worked with this month! AHHH! It has been a wonderfully busy Summer to say the least!

Starting Monday, I will be down to working with 21 kiddos. Glad to have a little more breathing room :) I plan on working as long as I can...then I'll be taking a little more than 3 months off work to take care of little Lily :) It just made sense for me to do that to give myself ample time- also I don't usually have much luck teaching around Thanksgiving or Christmas.

The count down is on!

33 Weeks

33 weeks along! Here are some updates:

• Monday, our doctor visit went really well- short and sweet. We found out that if she is born at 34 weeks, they won't do anything to stop labor because she'll be pretty good to come out at that time! It is best, however if she can stay in until around 37weeks or so (to let the lungs and brain develop a little more).
• We had our last birthing class this week. It is all very overwhelming, but has helped us get mentally prepared. We watched a natural birth and a C-section in the class on video. My tummy got pretty squeamish! I just can't believe there is a baby in there...and that it is going to come out!!!
• Next week we will take a tour of the hospital. We'll see Labor and Delivery (we've already been once!), the OR (hopefully we don't need that), and then couplet care (where they move the family to a more comfortable room for observation after delivery). I am anxious to see the rooms!
• The other night, Sean held his hand on my tummy to feel little Lily move around. He said that to him her movements felt more defined- like body parts moving around rather than just flutters. It is  super weird, but really cool! Any medical professional (student, nurse, doctor, etc) that has dealt with us has mentioned how active she is- even at just 9 weeks in utero! I've never read anything bad about an active baby, so that is good!
• Baby Brain is becoming a little worse- I mainly notice that I don't remember things as well. I also don't speak as well. I get consonant sounds mixed up...like saying "Drun" instead of "drum". Also I say the wrong word often like "Play a C" instead of "Play a G"...I know this happens to everyone, but it happens a lot to me right now! Other than that, I am feeling pretty good :)

Click  to see my belly grow! Here

32 weeks/EIGHT MONTHS

In less than FOUR weeks I will be considered Full Term! I hope she stays in there until at least the second weekend in September! Things are still going well overall- coming up we have a couple more birthing classes and a hospital tour (which I am really excited about)!

We ended up going to Labor and Delivery last week due to the amount of contractions I was having, but all is well. I was not dehydrated, just having a lot of braxton hicks. I am kind of glad to know where to go for Labor and Delivery, though!!

Overall, I am just feeling a little more sluggish and bigger. I am not running anymore, just walking and trying to eat as well as I can- gaining lots of weight, but that happens :)

Mom and Dad came to town and we had a good weekend. Mom bought her first couple of things for baby Lily- a hat, monkey socks, and a monkey pillow pet! I'll have to take a picture! For some reason, there are just a lot of cute monkey things out there!

Click Here to see my belly grow!

What is happening at 31 weeks?

At 31 weeks pregnant the count-down is ON! Here are some recent happenings:

- We started our birthing classes at the hospital this week. So far I have learned:

1) Breath in through your nose, out through your mouth

2) find a focal point to distract from pain

-We are going to doc appointments every 2 weeks now. At the last appointment I had another med student, but she was GREAT! I think they let the med students practice on me because I am generally easy :) According to the doctor- all is well!

-I packed the hospital bag this week. I know it may seem a little early, but why not? I've been having a lot of contractions and feeling more sluggish, so I want to get everything ready when I have time/energy to do so. 

-At the birthing class, I learned 36 weeks is considered FULL TERM meaning it is completely safe to have the baby at that time. That is less than FIVE weeks away! It is still safe for me to have Lily now, but she would be in NICU for a while. (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)

-It couldn't be a busier time for Sean and I. I was SO grateful during the first two tri-mesters to have a light enough work schedule to have plenty of time to work out, do the gift registry, read a lot about baby, do all the housework, make dinners, run errands, etc...but my Summer schedule has been insane! I am blessed to have so much work, but I think I over did it...I am just really nervous about taking a lot of time off work (I plan on about 3 months off) unpaid. Since I am self employed I will have no income during that time...and we're about to pay the BIG hospital bill for labor/delivery. Somehow in the back of my mind I know it will all work out. 

Luckily my schedule is about to calm down in a few weeks when school starts. I'll be working a little more than 1/2 the hours I am working now :) That will be good! Sean is getting ready to start his new teaching job and also trying to keep up with the church job full time- things have been crazy around here. I have an amazing husband who is not doing the new job for more income, but so that the kiddos in Salado can FINALLY have a choir program- yes that is right- he is starting a choir program at Salado HS! Can you believe they haven't had one before now?

-The nursery is pretty much ready! In my opinion we still need a bunch of little things- basics...like onesies, bottles, burp cloths...but we have another shower coming up here in Salado in September :) YAY! 

-If we have any spare time, we are spending every moment trying to prepare by reading directions to baby things, putting things together, washing baby clothes/diapers, organizing the house, etc.

-We are SO OVERWHELMED right now, but are trying to remember together that Lily doesn't need anything but our love. It is so hard to stop and remember this. We visited some friends who recently had a new baby and they told us their priorities instantly changed when he came along. Seems obvious, but true. I am hoping that happens with me because I feel like I think about myself way too much and am hoping I can focus all my attention on princess Lily. 

All in all- life is crazy busy, but life is wonderful :)

31

Click here to see my belly grow!

Weekend Update

Sean and I have been CRAZY busy this Summer! Lots of changes at church, busy work schedules, going out of town a lot, Sean's new second job (teaching choir at the HS), etc...It has been hard for me this Summer to find time to look into baby things, so I am feeling a little overwhelmed! We have bought and received so many wonderful baby things but now we literally have piles of laundry in her room (all with different washing instructions), directions to read on anything and everything baby, birthing classes starting once per week on Monday, lots of  doctor appointments...

...wow! It is hard to slow down and just think about what we are preparing for--

Something wonderful!