Just Stopping In

Well... one of these days maybe I will get better about updating, but let's be honest- throw a baby into the mix and I'm sure I will really become a slacker! But in all fairness, I wrote a really nice update at 33 weeks, and when I went to post it... it vanished! I was so frustrated that I didn't bother attempting to rewrite it, and threw in the towel.

So let me begin by saying that I have rarely made it a point to just "write" lately, and have been more focused on pregnancy updates. To be honest, this pregnancy seems to consume my life. Besides work, pregnancy is on my mind 24/7. I have had some people make some rude comments about how they are sick of reading nothing but pregnancy related statuses on facebook, and you know what I think about that... screw you! After trying, waiting, hoping, and praying for 18 long months, of coarse I am beyond excited about having a baby, so if that is what I want to talk about all day long, that is what I'm going to do!

Recently, it is really hitting hard that in just a few short weeks we are going to have a baby. Our family of two will soon be three, and our lives will never be the same again! I keep telling Kevin that we need to enjoy this small amount of time left, and take advantage of it as much as possible. It's tough since he works every other weekend, but we are making it a point to have a nice (as possible) date night this Saturday. We are also (finally) attending our birthing class this Sunday. To be honest, I am a little scared! Thinking about labor really freaks me out... mainly because I have no idea what to expect!

Now for my mini-sentimental note. Tonight in the few hours I had with Kevin before he had to go to work, we were talking baby (of coarse)... the last touches to the nursery that will be done this weekend, the date/time of our birthing class, nesting/cleaning/organizing that still needs to be done/etc. As we sat and talked, it was like a light bulb went off in my head. We found out we were pregnant roughly around 5 weeks... now we have only 5 weeks (more or less) until our due date. What a huge difference!! Those first few weeks/months were filled with worry and panic that something would take a wrong turn. After finally embracing the joy of being pregnant, it has felt like the time has flown by! Feeling those first tiny flutters that then turned into sweet little kicks, which are now like kung fu- karate chops! Finding out that we will be having a SON. Hearing his heartbeat grow stronger and louder with each appointment. Feeling his hiccups. And with every kick, punch, roll, hiccup, and heartbeat, I feel like I am getting to know Kael more and more. And the anticipation of finally getting to meet him is overwhelming! We have been waiting a long time to meet HIM. It was in God's plan for us to endure what we did, so that in the end we would have this baby. He is already so special and loved, I really can't imagine what it will be like when I am able to finally hold him in my arms, look into his eyes, and say hello!

Ok... give me a sec to wipe away my tears...

Now, onto the pregnancy updates! To be honest, I am being really lazy and don't feel like uploading pictures, but I will very soon I promise!

I'm jumping the gun a little, but considering I know I wont have time to write a post this weekend, this is the best I can do!

1. As of Sunday February 20th I will be 35 weeks pregnant. My doctor's office considers 36 weeks full term (anything before that would be sent to deliver in Anchorage).
2. My last Dr. appointment was on the 7th, and I was at a total weight gain of 25 pounds (YUCK!)
3. My next appointment is on Monday and I will have the Strep B test, which I am not looking forward to! If you don't know what this is... google it, because I'm not going into detail on here!
4. After Monday, my next appointment is March 7th and I start going every week after that.
5. At the 33 week mark, I developed two small stretch marks. One that looked like a "Y" on the left side of my belly button, and the other was just a small line on the right side. Since then they have EXPLODED! This past week it is like the decided to reproduce and fling their evil spawn all over my belly! I have tried all kinds of creams, lotions, oils, etc. but I have an allergic reaction to EVERYTHING! The only thing I can use at this point is just regular lotion that doesn't have any sort of fragrance to it. To be honest, this is my least favorite part of being pregnant!
6. I still haven't had any swelling, and my co-workers are very impressed that I can still wear my wedding ring.
   
7. We had our maternity pictures done this past weekend. We should be getting our disc of pictures next week, and I can not wait! I've only seen 2 of the pictures so far, but they both came out AMAZING! They were really special to me 1.) because of this pregnancy in general and 2.) because we are in Alaska. We were able to take the pictures outside (even though it felt like -4 degrees) so we will always be able to remember the beauty of this pregnancy and our "home".
8. I'm still having lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. I've also been having a lot of cramping lately as well. The other night I actually started timing my contractions again, and they were lasting a little over a minute a piece and were coming on randomly, but on average every 7-8 minutes. Of coarse I hydrated, walked around a little, then took a bath and they stopped. I just keep hoping that maybe all these "practice" contractions will help bring on the real ones a little early! :)
9. Tomorrow I am putting in my final "request" for maternity leave! I have had such a hard time deciding when to take off, but I am going to plan on working up until Friday, March 25th (which is only 2 days before my due date!) I will be taking 12 weeks off, so I will return June 20th. I guess all of that can change if he comes early, but that is the plan for now!
   
10. The nursery is pretty much complete with the exception of hanging the curtains and some of his wall decor. We will be doing that this weekend, along with sorting clothes and organizing them into boxes since he has so many we can't fit them all in the TWO dressers and closet we have!
    
11. We have been extremely blessed!!