Thursday, November 13, 2014

Pregnancy Recap: Weeks 28-32

So I'm solidly into the third trimester now, but this pregnancy is still just flying by! I don't know how time can move so quickly! I'm starting to get uncomfortable and be pretty ready for Connor to arrive, but we still have quite a few items to check off our to-do list. Here's a recap of the last few weeks:

Week 28:
Everything looked great at our 28-week doctor's appointment. I had to get a whole collection of various blood tests and shots, including a Rhogam shot (since I'm lucky enough to be in the minority of the population with a negative blood type). I passed my gestational diabetes test with flying colors though!

Overall, I'm feeling really good and it seems like Connor is doing well! Still vomiting every once in a while, but I'm still sleeping really well, my blood pressure is still under control with the medication, and I'm happy I haven't hit the third trimester uncomfortable stage yet!

Week 29:
 
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Week 29!

The highlight of the week was Connor's baby shower, hosted by my sisters and future sister-in-law. I felt so overwhelmed by the love and generosity that our family and friends gave to our sweet baby who isn't even here yet, and we feel so much more ready for Connor's arrival now that we have a lot of the key baby items we'll need!

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Baby shower!
 
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Connor's crib (a sweet gift from my parents!) and elephant hamper (a sweet gift from my sisters!), along with his handmade quilt from Jeff's mom (so special!) and some fabric that I need to turn into a crib skirt!

Week 30:

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Week 30!

I'm officially starting to feel huge. I tried to put on a button-down shirt from my pre-pregnancy days this week and there was just no way that thing was buttoning. I've been holding off on switching my wardrobe entirely to maternity clothes, but I'm running out of non-maternity things that still fit!

Jeff took his last pre-Connor business trip to Africa this week, and we'll both be relieved to have him home for a while! I had to go to my 30-week doctor's appointment without him (this is only the second one he's missed the whole time!), but it was a quick appointment. My blood pressure is starting to rise a little, but my doctor isn't too concerned yet. Just something to monitor.

We bought a rocking chair for Connor's room and I assembled it while Jeff was gone. I can't wait to sit in it with Connor in just a few weeks!!!
 
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Week 31:
I started doing baby laundry this week! It's a little surreal to be actually doing something so practical in preparation for our little boy to arrive! Every time I'd pull something out of the laundry pile I'd show it to Jeff and say "isn't this cute?!" and eventually he had to just tell me that yes, everything in the whole load of laundry is cute, and I didn't have to ask him about each individual thing. :)

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My blood pressure is still increasing despite the medicine so I'm getting a little worried about that, but still feeling great overall! Connor seems to have shifted lower in my belly, and I can finally take a deep breath for the first time in months! SO nice that he's not squishing my lungs anymore!

Week 32:
We spent an entire Saturday at the hospital's childbirth prep class, so now we're officially ready to have a baby (ha!). We have breastfeeding and "baby basics" classes coming up as well, plus our pre-Baptism class at church. So many classes!


31 weeks 
Week 32!

My 32-week doctor's appointment was a rough one. Connor's measuring 4lbs 14oz on the ultrasound, so he's in the 93rd percentile for weight. My doctor sat me down and told me that chances are really good that I'll have to have a C-section to get him out. More than anything else regarding labor and delivery, I really REALLY wanted to avoid a C-section, so it was a little disheartening. I really love my doctor though... she told me not to worry too much because ultrasound measurements can be really inaccurate, and she told me she'd let me try to deliver naturally despite how big he's measuring. So I'm trying not to worry and to just be glad we have a big, healthy baby!

My doctor was pretty concerned about my increasing blood pressure numbers too. We can't increase my medication dosage anymore, so at this point it's just getting higher and higher and there's nothing we can do to stop it. She asked me a bunch of questions about whether I'm having any headaches, swelling, or tunnel vision (no, no, and no), and then told me that if I do start getting any of those things, they'll induce labor right away. Isn't that crazy? We're supposed to have eight more weeks!

She also talked to me about going on some sort of modified bedrest to lower my blood pressure (not in the hospital or anything, but no working and no going places and the majority of my time spent on the couch or in bed). I told her I really didn't want to do that already since I still have almost two months until my due date, and she agreed to hold off for now and reassess at my next appointment in two weeks. So now I'm just trying to be as calm and un-stressed as much as possible so I can get those blood pressure numbers down and avoid being stuck in my house for the next two months!

We did get a semi-decent ultrasound profile shot though, and my mom came to the appointment so she could see the ultrasound too, which was fun. :)
 
31.5 weeks
 
The ultrasound tech told us that the top of his head is showing up dark and blurry because it's already in my pelvic bone. Umm, crazy, right? He's already positioned to make his move and enter the world!

So that's where we're at! 32 weeks down. My mom delivered each of my two sisters and me at 35 weeks, so if genetics are any indication... Connor could be coming in three weeks. Or he'll just hang out until his due date in eight weeks. Either way, we're so excited for him to officially join our family!

Monday, November 3, 2014

Pumpkin Patch 2014!

While my sister was in town for Connor's baby shower, we squeezed in our annual trip to the pumpkin patch!

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We couldn't resist taking a few cheesy pregnancy/pumpkin photos... :)

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We rode the hayride and looked all over for the perfect pumpkins!

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Aren't my parents the cutest?!

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And my sister, Karoline, is pretty cute too. :)

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Next year we'll have a little baby with us at the pumpkin patch! 

Here are our pumpkin patch trips from 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Connor's "Little Pumpkin" Baby Shower

My sisters and soon-to-be sister-in-law hosted the sweetest baby shower for baby Connor and me! It was "little pumpkin"-themed, and it was just adorable!

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My sisters by the "We Love Our Little Pumpkin" banner. :)

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Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Apple Cupcakes!

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Delicious food! 

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All of the guests signed the "Cute as a Button" canvas for Connor's nursery, and they wrote funny messages on diapers for Jeff and I to read during late-night diaper changes. :)

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Sweet shower hostesses - Karoline, Kristen, and Emily!

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My mom and Grandmom!

The hostesses planned a few fun little games. They had everyone guess how big around my belly was by cutting a piece of yarn...

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My cousin Liz and my Gran were the winners! 

Next, they divided everyone into a few teams and passed out cut-up photos of Jeff and me. Each team had to piece together various features of Jeff and me to make their prediction of what Connor will look like! 

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Before opening gifts, the hostesses put an ice cube into each guest's drink. The ice cubes had little tiny babies inside, and everyone was supposed to race to see who could get their "water to break" (baby to break free from the ice cube) first.

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Aunt Lucy was the winner!

I generally don't like situations where I have to be the center of attention, so opening gifts at showers was always a little uncomfortable for me when I had bridal showers before our wedding, but I was so overwhelmed by the sweet, thoughtful gifts that people brought for Connor that I was just so happy the whole time!

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The hostesses asked everyone to bring a book instead of a card, and Connor ended up with a library full of books inscribed with sweet sentiments from his family and friends! So sweet!

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Connor got so many adorable clothes!

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He also got so many handmade, precious gifts!

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A blanket from my great aunt!

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A quilt from Jeff's mom!

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Embroidered bibs from Jeff's great aunt!

The party favors were little paper pumpkins filled with candy. So cute! 

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I was so, so overwhelmed with the love and support of all the sweet ladies who came to the shower, and especially by all the planning and love that Emily, Karoline, and Kristen put into it! I'm a very blessed girl, and Connor is a very blessed little boy to be so loved by so many people already! 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Our Nice, France Weekend

After our four days in Monaco, we travelled back to Nice, France for the weekend! We arrived in Nice on a Friday morning and checked in at our amazing hotel - Hotel West End.

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View from our room!

We spent Friday walking all around Nice. We went to the Cours Saleya Flower Market first, and had lunch at one of the little cafes near the market.

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Walking around Vieux Nice was such a pleasure... there were pretty little churches all over the place, and the architecture everywhere was just beautiful!

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We went to Palais Lascaris and enjoyed the free tour... gorgeous rooms, pretty antique furniture and lots of antique musical instruments!

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We walked along the Promenade des Anglais to the "Le Chateau" castle ruins, and we found some really beautiful views of the beach and port!

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Castle Ruins

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We had dinner at La Milanesina on Friday and LOVED it.

On Saturday, we enjoyed the delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel, and we rented a couple beach chairs and an umbrella on the beach from Blue Beach.

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We spent the entire day just watching the sailboats and reading books. Total bliss! We had lunch brought straight to our beach chairs from the Blue Beach restaurant and had a really lovely, relaxing day.

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Since we loved La Milanesina so much the night before, we went back again for dinner on Saturday! Totally unlike us (normally we're all about exploring and trying something new), but it was absolutely delicious again. No regrets. :)

On Sunday it was time to come home, and we were happy to be back in our own house and our own bed! No more traveling until Connor arrives!