33 Weeks

Well here I am about 6.5 weeks away from my due date. Reality is setting in that my nights will be longer, my sleep cycles shorter, my house a little louder, and my life a little crazier... and I could not be more excited! My baby shower is this Sunday and I am excited to hopefully receive some much needed baby items. We had our painter come over and look at the nursery yesterday so hopefully he will begin painting the castle on her playroom very soon. As for me, I am definitely feeling very pregnant. Don't get me wrong- I still feel good. But I am feeling big, heavy, and tired. I am still carrying the baby really low, but now that she is putting on weight like crazy I think the only way she can grow is up. So her feet settle under my ribs and I have to sit up straight to get a deep breathe.
Because of all the snow, our first day back from Christmas break was this week. My students all made comments about how much my tummy had grown in the three week break. I believe them too! My tummy is feeling round and tight. The baby weighs around 4.5 pounds right now and is about 19 inches long. Amazing! This Saturday Matt and I will go to our "Beyond Birth" class at the hospital. Matt is really excited to learn about how to take care of her when we bring her home. Next Saturday we will go to our Birthing Class since it was cancelled last week due to the snow. The weeks are flying by and she will be here before we know it! I can't wait.

31 Weeks

Happy New Years! I cannot believe it's 2010. We are having a baby in 2 months (or less). Last night on New Years Eve we went over to Adam and Whitney's house. I had a great time playing Mexican Dominos with the girls and Matt played video games in the basement with all the boys. We had a ton of food and ended up having a great time. Mom and I went shopping/looking for the baby today. We had a great time looking at all of the cute things that I registered for. My shower is about 2 weeks away. I am really excited for the party because I am feeling really unprepared right now. We have lots of 0-3 month old onsies but no car seat, stroller, bottles, diapers, etc. Once we have the shower, I am hoping to feel a lot more prepared for her arrival.
The baby is running out of room in my tummy really quickly. I can feel every movement, roll, and turn. Her kicks are getting a lot less frequent due to the lack of space. Two nights ago Matt found some body part of her's sticking out and gave it a little tap. My entire stomach then jumped and rolled. Aparently she did not like that. I am really excited to see her, hold her, and cuddle her. Reality is setting in... we are going to be parents in about 8 weeks! We cannot wait to meet our little blessing!

30 Weeks and New York City

30 Weeks

Merry Christmas Baby Girl! We had an ultrasound and doctor's appointment today to check on the baby and she is doing great. She is about 3.5 lbs and she is about 17 inches long. She is measuring about the size of a 31.5 week fetus, so she may be here a little before we all think. The doctor said she is doing well and I am a OB doctor's dream patient. I hope it stays that way. Oh, and we had the doctor confirm she is still a girl. Yeah!
We got back from New York very early this morning because our flight was delayed. We saw Ground Zero, Wall Street, Battery Park, Chinatown, Times Square, and more. My favorite night was the night Matt and I went out on a date. We started our date by going up to the top of the Empire State Building at dusk. Oh my goodness it was freezing and windy. There was probably a -30 degree wind chill up at the top, but the view was gorgeous! After we got back down we went to the Heartland Brewery at Times Square and had a great meal just the two of us. We talked about the baby and how dates like this are going to dwindle after the baby is here.
Matt was such a trooper with all the shopping we did. I bought a fake coach purse in Chinatown for a diaper bag. The extra 20 lbs that I am carrying around sure impacted me a little more than I had expected. We had to slow down while walking and stop at Starbucks about every 3 hours for bathroom/drink breaks. All in all, the trip was really fun and I am glad we decided to go on our Babymoon before our Baby Girl arrives. Christmas is 2 days away and I can't wait to celebrate.

28 Weeks

Welcome to the 3rd Trimester! I am still feeling well, but boy am I tired. You know I am tired when I need to sit down for a minute while shopping (which happened this weekend at Gordmans). Basketball is in full swing and we won our first JV game last night. We are now 1-4. Ouch, I know.
I went to the doctor's on Monday and had my Glucose testing done. Everything came out fine with that and I have now gained 18 glorious pounds. But I did get a call from a nurse yesterday telling me my iron was really low. They want me to quadrulple my iron intake, which I am sure will reek havoc on my body again. But it's really important since my blood volume has now doubled since before I was pregnant. There are also complications which can affect the baby such as low birth weight or pre-term labor. So we are working to get this under control ASAP.
We now have to go to the doctor every 2 weeks for routinue blood tests and measurements of the baby. Once I get to 36 weeks, I will go every week. My next appointment is December 23. We will also have an ultrasound done that day to check on the baby and to see her position. I also want to double check that we still have a girl.
Matt and I leave for NY in 8 days and I am looking forward to a relaxing Christmas break with my electric blanet, couch, and TV. I can't wait until Christmas gets here!

27 Weeks

We have less than 3 months until we get to meet our sweet baby girl. She continues to be very active, especially at night. Last night she was moving all over the place. I told Matt I just want a peek at what she is doing in there. I want to know for sure what I am feeling...was that an arm or leg? I am still feeling really well and have run three times this week at the gym. Winter has hit us with full force this week and I found myself reaching for my winter coat. I realized this morning that my good winter coat will not button or zip due to my expanding belly. But I do have over 15 pounds of extra fun to help keep me warm.
I am going to go Christmas shopping for Matt right after school today and then we are heading to Lee's Summit to eat dinner with Bryan and Sarah before taking in the Lady Falcon championship game. I am ready for a relaxing weekend. We have a lot to do to get ready for Christmas and I want to spend some time just hanging out with Matt. We continue to get Gracie ready for the arrival of her new little sister. She has no idea though. I am sure she will get used to the baby but it will probably take a week or so before Grace realizes that the baby is not leaving. I do believe she senses something is different with me because she will no longer rough house with me and seems to be extra lovie.

3 months to go

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now the countdown is on for Christmas. This month will fly by as we are busy with the holiday festivities, basketball, and a trip to New York. With only 3 months left until the birthday, we'll be busy right up until then! Andrea's belly has now grown to the point that she has a shelf that she can place a bowl of cereal, popcorn, ice cream, or in this case chips & dip.