Better late than never...

09.08.09
So, again I am late with our 36 week picture, but what can I say I am busy getting ready for baby : ) Things are still going well. We have switched our practice from our traditional Obgyn to a Birth Center which we are so happy about. It will be very conducive to our goal of having Baby Regan without meds : ) I have been hesitant to talk about this subject with many people because we have received so many concerned reactions, but just know that we have done our research thoroughly and we feel 100% comfortable with our choice...and not just comfortable, but truly excited!

Damon and I worked this weekend cleaning the house and finishing up a lot of last minute tasks that we have been putting off (i.e. hanging blinds). The house looks great and is clean and organized. We set up the pack n play in our bedroom and installed the car seat in our Pacifica so we will be ready to go to the birth center whenever the baby tells us it is time. This week we will be finishing up the rest of our shopping, which will hopefully be minimal and packing our bag for labor and delivery. It's amazing how close we are coming to the finish line. I cannot even express in words how excited we are to meet our little one!

34 weeks!

08.24.2009
So, I haven't been keeping up with my photos as well as I wish I was, but lack of sleep has lead to rushing in the mornings...so instead of a Thursday morning picture, we have a Monday evening picture...but either way...it is still within 34 weeks : ) Better late than never. We had our 34 week appointment today. The heartbeat was 152...and we are measuring right on track.

32 weeks!

08.06.2009
I am 32 weeks today and we had our biweekly check up this morning. All looks well. Baby is measuring at 33, my blood pressure is good, my weight gain is on track, and the baby's heart beat is 148.

I still feel pretty good overall, although I am definitely feeling more pregnant than I have thus far. The baby moves a lot which is wonderful to feel - except when it likes to lodge its foot into my rib cage or donkey punch by bladder...but otherwise, it is great to feel him/her moving about. I am also finding myself having more trouble sleeping through the night. The dreams are getting more vivid and I am definitely feeling uncomfortable laying on my side - even with the pillows strategically placed for comfort. It seems that the only time I feel like I am in a deep sleep is right before the alarm goes off. But either way, I still feel very lucky and am optimistic that I will adjust enough to get adequate sleep.

Every day Damon and I do a little bit more to get ready for the little one. We can hardly believe we are only 8 short weeks away from being a family!

Flashback Friday!

07.24.2009
Here is a look at the past 25 weeks of my pregnancy...

P.S. To check out more Friday Flashbacks...check here.

30 weeks!

07.23.2009
Today we are 30 weeks! We went to our last monthly appointment and everything checked out perfectly. We got the results back of my glucose screening and everythign looked good. I am measuring right at 30 weeks and the heartbeat was 148.

We have decided to try and work with a midwife at our practice for the delivery. From what I hear they tend to be more open to natural childbirth. There are 4 at the practice we go to, so there is more of a chance we will know the midwife a little more than we would if we just continued to rotate through the practice. Our next appointment will be in 2 weeks. I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy is going...only 10 weeks left!

28 weeks!

07.09.2009
Yay! We have officially entered the third trimester! It is amazing to think of how fast this pregnancy is going. We are going to be bringing the baby home before we know it! This weekend Damon and I are going to hit the stores and create a registry. I can't believe how anxious that makes me. There is just so much to know and even with all the help of my friends and family I feel lost. I am sure we will figure it all out, but it is definitely overwhelming!

Yesterday I went and had more lab work done. I had the preliminary glucose test, where I got to enjoy a tasty (sarcasm high) orange drink of sugary liquid. The only thing cool about it was that once I drank it the baby was did flips in my belly for about 20 minutes. My whole stomach was shifting around! I tried to get it on video, but I wasn't quick enough.

I also had my first prenatal massage today which was AMAZING! A definite recommendation to anyone out there growing a baby in there belly - heck I recommend massages to anyone period! What a nice treat! I definitely look forward to making this a routine throughout the remainder of my pregnancy.

26 weeks!

06.28.2009So another delay on posting my biweekly belly pictures, but better late than never. On Thursday 06.25.2009 we hit 26 weeks and I had my monthly appointment. Ironically, my sister who is 21 weeks and also goes to the same practice (she actually recommended it to me) unknowingly made an appointment directly after mine the same day with the same doctor, so we decided to go together. Not something that many people get to experience : ) Everything looked good for both my sister and me. This week the baby's heart rate was 140 and I was measuring at 26, so we are right on track. The baby is moving a lot now and the movement is much stronger, which is so exciting. Sometimes I just sit and watch my belly move. I still have been feeling really good overall, with a couple of days where I felt a bit under the weather, but generally still feeling really lucky! Right now I am doing all my research and getting ready to register, which is feeling a little overwhelming. I have had a lot of my mom friends help, but there is soooo much to consider! I have also started my readings on natural childbirth. I am pretty convinced right now that this is the way I would like to go, but I need to get through the books first and make sure my doctors will be on board. I have a friend that went naturally and she said it was amazing - painful, but amazing. I know most people probably think I am nuts, but it is just a personal choice and something that I would like to do for me : ) We'll see.

24 weeks!

06.11.2009
Today we are 24 weeks! Here is our biweekly picture! I will make up the progression one soon.

I am still feeling really good and feel very lucky to have such an easy pregnancy. I haven't had a flare up of the costochondritis (knock on wood) in months! I am definitely growing more and more every day and had to give in and by some new clothes : ) Although I have done really well hitting sales!!! For the most part I have bought inexpensive comfortable dresses (non-maternity) that are made of stretchy material and have empire waists...or no waist line at all, but I have bought a couple pairs of pants from Kohl's (clearance rack - jeans $11), Target, and Ross (I found 1 location with a great maternity section - jean shorts for $6!). Also, I think I am beginning the nesting phase because last weekend I had the impulse to reorganize my closet. My house will likely be spotless if I don't get this new job : )

Catching Up!

06.09.2009
Okay, so I haven't been so great with keeping my blog updated. I guess this is what happened last time and I ended up just giving up and starting over. So I promise I am going to try harder to keep up with it. It just feels like my life is so boring right now. I love to read my sister's blog, but that's because she always posts pictures of my adorable nephews. So what I have decided to do is go ahead and jump on the band wagon and post pictures of my adorable nephews too. I mean, I do take a lot of the pictures she posts anyways....why can't I use them on my own blog : ) Once the little one comes along I have a feeling I won't be short of pictures to post - that's for sure! So for the catch up...

We went in for our appointment at 22 weeks and things continue to look good. I was measuring at 21 weeks, but the doctor said that it wasn't a strong enough indicator to change our due date. The heartbeat was about 160 again. Our next appointment isn't until the 25th. Here is our picture from week 22...

As for life, we have had a lot of stressors recently. Damon is currently working on his comprehensive exam for his PhD program and I have been busy prepping for a 7 hour interview for a full time staff position. Right now I am one of three contract employees and unfortunately due to the budget cuts, our contracts were not renewed and so my last day at work is this Friday, June 12th : ( A position opened about a month ago and out of 157 applicants I made it down to the final 3 who were asked to engage in the full day interview. One of the other candidates unfortunately is a good friend of mine who also currently works with me as a contract worker. It has been a very anxiety provoking process, but luckily the interview process is over now and we are just waiting for an answer (we should know on Monday, June 15). I am just trusting that life will work out the way it is supposed to, because I know I am going against a very qualified colleague and the third candidate is licensed and bilingual....ugh (neither myself or my colleague will be licensed for another year!). Regardless, I feel that I did very well on my case presentation and the interview, so I feel confident that I put my best foot forward and now the rest is out of my hands. We will see soon what happens next. Til then, here is a picture of me the morning of the interview.

And finally...as promised, pictures of the nephews! Damon and I have been trying to spend lots of time with the April and the boys (when they aren't escaping to SFL for grandparent time) so last week we came over for a little puzzle and pool action - well that plus dinner and the Magic game! We had such a great time with everybody! Here are some pictures of the boys playing...

20 weeks!

05.14.2009
We are about half way there! Although as my sister reminded me...we aren't technical half way there until this week is over, but either way...it is amazing how fast the time is flying! I am still feeling really great overall, so I feel pretty lucky. It seems that my belly is really starting to grow. Unfortunately, a lot of the maternity clothes that I borrowed are starting not to fit already! Darn size small! : ) May be time for some shopping after all.

18 Week Picture Update

05.05.09
This picture is actually from this past Thursday, April 30th, I just forgot to post the updated picture.

The Bump

04.19.2009

To my disappointment I am still fighting the cold that I was blessed with earlier last week. Unfortunately, it seems to have gotten worse - likely because I went to two social events yesterday. Despite Damon's warnings that I should stay home in bed, I could not miss out on Kelly's engagement party or Dinner on the Ave (pictures to come later). Perhaps not the wisest decision, but both events were very important to me, and worth spending today in bed...even though I do have to miss a get together with my UCFCC Training Cohort which happens infrequently now since Shalini and Christy had babies and Nicole moved to Atlanta. If we weren't meeting at Shal's today (home of the newest arrival, Laila) I may have even tried to go. I'm not saying I'm always the best in the world of self care - which I have to start adjusting ASAP because I have a little one brewing that I need to take care of. Speaking of...lying in bed all day has left me with time to finally pull together my belly pictures from the past 11 weeks. A forewarning that the pictures are certainly not glamorous - they are usually taken first thing in the morning after waking up so that we are consistent with the bump. We take pics every 2 weeks, so I will do my best to keep up with the progression. For now here is 5-16 weeks.