39 weeks, 6 days

These are my last pregnancy photos, taken right before we left for the hospital to meet the little girl who has made our family complete! I was completely spoiled by having my first two babies early, so making it to the day before my due date meant that I was very ready to meet this new person! Birth story and introduction to come...

38 Weeks

My due date is 2 days away, so it's probably time for my 38 week update! :)  As far as real complaints go, I don't really have any. Just the normal late pregnancy stuff.  I am, however, running low on clothes!  My shirts and pants are no longer reliably covering my belly!  Even though my belly is not huge, my long torso plus belly means that I'm still outgrowing all my maternity clothes!

At my 38 week check-up, the midwife was a little concerned that I was measuring a little bit small, and sent me in for an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level and baby's size. After a stressful few hours waiting for my ultrasound appointment, I was very relieved to learn that both the fluid level and the baby's size are within the normal range--the smaller end of the range, but nothing to be concerned about. Whew!  Oh, and the tech reconfirmed that the baby is a girl. :)

 Pre-coffee (aka grumpy) iphone photo of the 38 week belly.

Some photos from the ultrasound: her wispy hair!

Hand with finger pointing, above her toes!

36 Weeks

On Thursday I hit the 36 week mark in my pregnancy.  It's funny to think that 36 weeks is as far as I got in my pregnancy with Nathan.  Natalie was born at 39 weeks. I wonder what this baby will decide to do??

At my midwife appointment this week I had my group B strep test and an internal exam.  According to my midwife, the baby is "crazy low" (which is not at all a surprise to me or my poor pelvis!) and I am 1 cm dilated but not yet effaced.  My Braxton-Hicks contractions have been increasing, as have my trips to the bathroom! :)  I am in that training for a newborn phase of needing to get up every 1-3 hours at night.  My body is definitely getting itself ready for the next stage!

As far as my "to-do before baby" spreadsheet, almost everything is crossed off the list! Really all that needs to happen on the homefront before the baby arrives is to pack my hospital bag, pack the kids' overnight bags and install the infant carseat.  I still have a lot on my pre-maternity leave to-do list at work, so I am trying to plug away at that a little bit in the evenings as well as at the office.  Never a dull moment!

36 week belly!

Freezer Meals

In my quest to get as much prepared as possible before the unknown of a new baby arrives in our life, I spent the weekend making freezer meals.  I had some ideas about what I was going to make going into it, but tracking down the recipes, making a coded spreadsheet shopping list (yes, I am that anal!), looking at sales and clipping coupons at Meijer and Target took me a lot longer than I anticipated.  Then three hours of shopping later (perhaps going out on the first Saturday after the polar vortex was not the best idea???), unpacking all the groceries, sorting them into their various recipes, chopping all the veggies (thank you, US figure skating championships for the entertainment while chopping!), and Saturday was done.  I cooked all morning yesterday and then took a break to go in and conduct some training at work all afternoon, and then assembled burritos in front of the Golden Globes. Relaxing weekend? Nope. Satisfyingly productive? Yes!

Here is what I made:

Last-Minute Lasagna: made a double batch, one for the freezer and one for dinner this week.

Italian Turkey Soup: made a double batch, both for the freezer.

Chicken, Bean and Cheese Burritos: doubled the bean/cheese/salsa amounts and cooked a family pack of chicken thighs in the crockpot and had enough filling for 24 burritos.

One Skillet White Bean & Sausage Stew: made a double batch, one for the freezer and one for dinner this week.

Quesadilla Casserole: made a double batch, one for the freezer and one for dinner this week.

This site has a lot of crockpot recipes for the freezer.  I prepped single batches of the Sausage & Peppers and the Teryaki Pork Chops for the freezer.

34 Weeks

One of the reasons I have been so behind on my blog for the last 8 months is that I have been working hard on growing another human while parenting two other little humans, working full time, and trying to spend time with my husband and friends too!  As a result, I have not documented this pregnancy nearly as well as I should have.  But, better late than never!  

I am 34 weeks pregnant! What? Wow. It seems a little crazy that we are so close to meeting our new baby girl.  My second and third trimesters have gone pretty smoothly.  For the most part I have felt really good and been able to keep up with the kids.  Just this week I have become officially uncomfortable!  Baby 3PO has dropped into my pelvis, and boy can I feel it!  At my appointment this week, the doc confirmed that she is head-down, so that is good.  Hopefully she stays that way.  I am measuring right at 34 weeks, the baby is very active (she gives a heck of a punch to my bladder on a regular basis!), and her heartbeat is strong. 

I am definitely bigger this time around than with either of my other pregnancies, although I have gained less weight this time.  The clerk at the grocery store today guessed correctly that I'm carrying a girl. :)  For fun, here is link to the 35 week update with Natalie, which also includes photos of 35 weeks pregnant with Nathan. :)

I am in full nesting mode--trying my best to get as many Is dotted and Ts crossed at home and at work before officially becoming a family of five.  Wish me luck! :)

Baby Quilt!

Although I have been working on it since before Halloween, the last two snow days allowed me to capitalize on the kids' "rest time" (oh how I wish I could reliably call it nap time) to finish up the quilt for baby girl! 

Early in my pregnancy I was pretty sure that I wanted to do an animal theme for the quilt, either zoo animals or woodland creatures.  It turns out that most of the fabrics with these themes are in blue/brown/greens, which was just a little too "boy" for my liking.  When I found these elephants, I was smitten!  The rest of the fabrics quickly found their way into my cart in a whirlwind of excellent fabric store karma.  Since I had stopped at the store on a whim, I didn't have a pattern in mind, so I had to guesstimate when at the cutting table.  Cutting out the elephants ate up a lot more fabric than I anticipated, which required me to get a bit creative when piecing the back, but it turned out that I had exactly enough fabric! Whew!

Laying out the elephants to figure out how big I wanted the quilt to be.

Figuring out the layout for the 9-patch blocks that are interspersed with the elephants

Quilting underway!

Finished!!

24 weeks

I have been terrible about taking belly photos this pregnancy! Here is one I took with my phone at 24 weeks. Since I am 32 weeks today, it's probably time for an update! :)  This baby is super active, lots of rolling and kicking.  I love it! 

It's A...

GIRL!!!!

In early October, our 20 week ultrasound showed us that our newest addition is a girl!  Everything on the scan and with my blood tests indicate that she is healthy, and both Nathan and Natalie are pretty excited that they are going to have a baby sister!

New Baby!

Wow, I am way behind on my blog, and just realized I have not posted about the most important development in our lives!  We are having another baby!!  Yes, that's right, in February we will be a family of five.  I feel simultaneously nervous about being outnumbered by our children and really excited to meet this new little person and see how he or she completes our family.  Right now I am 19 weeks pregnant, and finally feeling good again.  First trimester was rough!  I was sicker this time around than I was with Nathan or Natalie, and the fact that with two little people needing my attention prevented me from taking naps whenever I needed them was a little challenging.  Now we are just counting down the days until Friday, when hopefully the baby will cooperate at the anatomy scan and reveal whether we will be having a boy or a girl!

Here is a photo of our new sweetie from the 12 week ultrasound:

39 week appointment

Well, I made it to 39 weeks pregnant, just barely!  More details to come in the birth story, but I took these photos on my way to my 39 week appointment, just a few hours before heading to labor and delivery to meet Pepper!

38 Week Appointment

Today I had my 38 week appointment, which was a little more eventful than the last few I've had.  The last two days Pepper has not been nearly as active as she usually is, and this fact, combined with a heartrate that was 117 bpm--in the normal range but at the low end of it--and that I was measuring at 35 weeks instead of 38 caused the midwife to decide to send me for an ultrasound just to make sure that all was well with the baby.  She suspected that all of these factors were due to Pepper being really low in my pelvis rather than there being a problem, but she wanted to make sure.  So I spent some time in the waiting room trying not to freak out while I was waiting for the ultrasound tech to squeeze me in at the last minute.  Luckily, everything is totally fine! Whew!!  The baby is measuring 38 weeks, 2 days, and I got to see her little ribcage moving--she's practicing her breathing skills!  Her weight is estimated around 7 lbs 5 oz.  It was crazy to see just how crowded she is in there right now!  We'll see how long it takes for her to decide that there is no longer enough room in here for the two of us. :)

38 Week belly

Maternity Photos

A few weeks ago when my dear friend and professional photographer, Becky was in town, she took some maternity photos of me.  She posted a "sneak peek" of some of them on her blog.  I think they turned out great!  I especially love the silhouette shot with Nathan handing me a flower.  Check them out here:

http://www.beckyandersonphotography.com/blog/2011/09/you-are-my-sunshine-kalamazoo-maternity-photographer/

37 Week Appointment

Today I went in for my 37 week appointment.  It was nice and uneventful!  Peppers heartbeat was 133bpm, and she is still measuring on track.  It's funny to think that I never made it this far into pregnancy with Nathan, and to feel like pretty much everything is ready for the baby and we just get to wait for her to decide she's ready to join us.  It feels strange, but good!  I feel pretty zen about things right now.  I'm definitely tired and uncomfortable, especially by the end of the day, but I really can't complain too much.  If the baby decides to stay in a little longer, that just means more time to wrap things up at work, clean my house and hang out with my boys.  If she decides to come soon, I'm excited to meet her!

37 week belly

Nathan at 37 weeks. :)

36 Week Appointment

I had a great 36 week appointment today.  The Group B Strep test that was done last week came back negative, which means that I don't have to get intravenous antibiotics prior to delivery.  That is good news in itself, but the added bonus is that it means I can labor at home longer before going to the hospital, which will hopefully increase the likelihood of an unmedicated birth. I got another internal exam, and was really happy to hear that I am at exactly the same point as I was last week.  When I was excited about this, saying that I was hoping that the baby would cook for a few more weeks, the midwife told me that most of the women she sees at this point feel exactly the opposite! :)  I am measuring at exactly 36 weeks, my blood pressure is great, weight gain is good (18 lbs total) and Pepper's heart rate was 135 BPM.

I'm still feeling good for the most part.  I've started to get really, really exhausted in the mid-afternoon/early evening, which is a little challenging since that's the time that I have to spend with Nathan and Todd, as well as the daily grind of dinner, dishes, and other miscellaneous daily demands.

Since Nathan came at 36 weeks, I was determined to get as much pre-baby stuff done as possible by the 36 week mark of this pregnancy, so that any time I had after that would be bonus time to relax and enjoy my  time with just my boys.  So Sunday was a frenzy of activity, and now the pack and play is set up in our room, items are gathered for the hospital, the infant car seat base is installed, all the essential Nathan details have been typed up and distributed to the grandparents, and numerous other odds and ends have been crossed off the list.  I still have loose ends at work that I'd like to tie up, and I would really love to clean the house from top to bottom before the baby arrives, but the essentials are in place!

My 36 week belly. 

My 36 week belly with Nathan--the last belly photo we took with him; he was born a few days later!  As you can see, I was smaller with him, and carrying him a lot higher.

35 Week Appointment

This afternoon I had my 35 week appointment.  It's hard to believe that this starts my weekly appointments with the midwife!  She took the culture for my Group B Strep test.  If I test positive, it means that I'll have to be on IV antibiotics during labor and delivery, as GBS can be harmful to the baby, even though it is harmless in adults.  The fact that I had the test today is making me a little superstitious, as my water broke the day after I had that test with Nathan!  Eek!  That is part of the reason that they did the test on me today at 35 weeks--they did it with N at 36 weeks, and the results hadn't come back by the time I went into labor with him, and ended up being on penicillin for 48 hours straight as a precaution--turns out I didn't have it!  Oh well.  Fingers crossed that history doesn't repeat itself this time around!  Doing the test a week early this time means that even if I do go into labor at 36 weeks, we'll know the test results then, and can proceed accordingly.  I am hoping to labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital, so hopefully the test will be negative.

Everything else from the appointment is looking great--I'm still measuring right on track at 35 weeks, and my weight gain is fine.  I had my first physical exam, and the midwife confirmed that Pepper is head-down, and then told me that I'm about 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated, and the baby's at -2 station.  Yikes!  Of course, that doesn't really mean that active labor is imminent, I could still go to term, but it's hard not to feel a little anxious twinge about the fact that things are happening down there!  The midwife doesn't think that I'll make it to my due date.  Hmm...  Keep cooking in there, Pepper!

Physically I've been feeling really good still, although starting to feel a little clumsier and awkward.  I definitely noticed that in yoga tonight--moving from one position to another has become steadily less graceful!  I'm waking up multiple times during the night to use the bathroom--on that every two hour schedule that will become so familiar in a few weeks when there's a tiny, hungry baby to feed!

35 Weeks pregnant with Pepper

35 weeks pregnant with Nathan

32 Week Appointment

I had my 32 week appointment with the midwife this morning, and I'm happy to report that all seems to be continuing to go smoothly! I'm still measuring right on track at 32 weeks, and Pepper's heartrate was 140 BPM (so consistent!). The last three appointments she has been laying transverse in my uterus, and I was happy to learn that today she is head-down! Yay! There is still time and space for her to turn again, but I'm glad that she is at least exploring the idea of exiting in the proper direction. :) I had a great conversation with the midwife this morning, and am starting to wrap my brain around the fact that this little munchkin will be making her entrance into the world soon--who is this new person going to be??

I'm still sleeping pretty well, thanks to my enormous pregnancy pillow, the positive results of my physical therapy appointments, and my ability to get up several times during the night to pee without really waking up. I am treasuring every solid night's sleep I can get, and starting to realize that sleep deprivation with a newborn and a toddler is going to be a whole different ballgame! Eek!

I'm also really loving my prenatal yoga class--why on earth didn't I start it earlier in my pregnancy??  I love the fact that it is time set aside just to focus on my body, the baby, breathing and meditation--it is helping me get into the frame of mind I will need to find while in labor.

Here are the latest belly photos; she's definitely getting bigger:

32 weeks pregnant with Nathan; I'm definitely carrying Pepper differently than I did Nugget:

30 Week Appointment

Wow, 30 weeks pregnant already! It's hard to believe that I'm 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy--time is flying! I think part of the reason is that summer always seems to go so quickly. There are so many fun things to do and so many warm weather home projects on the never-ending to-do list. We have spent the last two weekends at home, which has been great (and unusual for us in the summer!). Todd and I have been scurrying around working on projects on the "must get done before Pepper arrives" list (my sewing room was like a little sweatshop last weekend) and still finding plenty of time to do fun things with Nathan--running in the sprinkler, taking him to his first movie in the theater (Cars 2 of course, and he loved it!), getting blueberries with Grandma Gail and Grandpa John, attending a race at the Kalamazoo Speedway with Daddy and Uncle Toby, and playing in the sandbox.

For the most part I've been feeling really good lately, even though my belly keeps getting bigger. I've had a bit more energy in the last few weeks, and have been able to do some walking and started taking a prenatal yoga class this week. The heat has been affecting me more than I expected it to--wearing me out, and also causing some beautiful heat-induced hives. Thankfully I live and work in air conditioned buildings! After suffering some pretty intense pelvic pain for about 6 weeks, I finally said something about it to my midwife at my 28 week appointment. She referred me to a physical therapist, and my work with her has made such a difference! Between her adjustments and my faithfully following the daily exercises and stretching she's prescribed I am feeling significantly better, and it's a big reason that I've been able to so some more walking and yoga.

Pepper has been getting into a bit of a predictable routine with her sleeping and waking periods. I love feeling her kick and move around. At least in utero, she is much more mellow than Nathan was. During meditation/relaxation during yoga, where Nathan would decide it was time to start a super distracting dance party, I can feel Pepper moving just a little bit and imagine that she is just focusing on relaxing her body with mine.

My midwife appointment this week went well. Pepper's heartrate was 143 BPM, and she was in the same transverse position as she was on my visit two weeks ago. She's a consistent little thing! Hopefully she will eventually decide to turn head-down, but there's still plenty of time for that. I'm measuring right on track with fundal height and have gained 16lbs total, which is well within the healthy range. I am on the home stretch with the weekly progesterone shots that I've been getting since early in the first trimester (initially to help prevent miscarriage and now to help prevent pre-term labor since N was early). Only six more injections to go! Let's hope they do the trick and keep this little one cooking to full term. It's hard to believe that I'm now meeting with the midwife every two weeks!

Me and my 30 week belly:



30 weeks pregnant with Nathan:

Toes in the Sand

We took full advantage of the weather and our location this weekend, and spent a good chunk of each day on the beach. The bay was still too chilly for the grown-ups to do more than wade in, but it's getting there, and the little ones were enjoying it fully! This summer both Nathan and Miles absolutely LOVED the beach!! After a few minutes of trepidation about the water, they both had a blast digging in the sand, splashing, and exploring. It was so great to see them having fun at one of my most favorite places on earth, and nice to have them focused in such a small geographical area that we weren't constantly chasing after them in different directions--Annalee and I were actually able to have several long conversations!

The boys checking out the water... not so sure yet.

Papa helps them feel more comfortable. Oh, and can you tell that Annalee and I both shop at Target for toddler swim trunks??

Nathan and Papa, having fun at the beach!

Grandmas in the sand

Miles decided that the water is a good place to hang out.

Finding beach treasures

Playing catch

My handsome hubby

Two great friends and two great baby bellies!!

LOVE this kid!

Todd, Pepper and I (check out the 28 week belly--that baby is growing!!)

Fowles and Appledorns

Dan, Annalee, and baby Lulu

Love this perspective of both boys checking out the canoe

Hmmm... how much horsepower do you think this thing has??

One of the highlights of the weekend was going for a ride in Papa's boat. The bay was calm, and the boys loved the wind in their hair. Both of them started to get lulled to sleep by the motion of the boat though, so they quickly decided it was time to go back to the beach where they could stave off the inevitable nap time a little bit longer!

All the boys, ready to go boating. Can you tell that the little ones were a little skeptical of the life jackets?

Picnic on the beach with Grandma Nancy

Todd, summing up our feelings about the weekend: