week 35 day 1

Exactly 5 weeks from yesterday is our due date!

Today I've had quite a bit of pain but nothing I can't handle.

I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night last night which was absolutely amazing. I didn't end up getting up until 9:45 am and I was definitely so grateful that I could sleep in and not have to worry about getting up to take care of anyone.

Yesterday we bought the travel system and brought it home with us. With the Braxton-Hicks, lightening, and the fact that we're 5 weeks away, we finally decided that it was time to just go out and buy one. We ended up getting one that we didn't think we would but it's cute and Mike says it's going to be a good one (I was just worried about the safety and the cuteness, Mike wanted to make sure it was very safe and won't brake easily). But when we got it home and Mike was testing it out, we found a flaw so it goes back to the store tomorrow. But at least we're ready for a ride home from the hospital!

week 34 day 5

Tonight we almost bought a travel system ... we were so close. And then we looked at the one next to the one we were going to buy and spent the next 30 minutes explaining its pros and cons to each other. So we came home, looked it up, and decided to go with our first choice.

Mike decided that other than clothes and toys, the baby really, really needs a car seat. We're going to be pretty embarrassed if we have to call someone up to see if we can borrow their car seat so we can take our baby home from the hospital.

I noticed this morning that my belly was looking a lot less round and perky and a lot more oval-ish and droopy. Mike noticed this evening and so we have strong beliefs that the baby has dropped! I did notice today as I was moving around (for 8 hours!) that I could breathe better although the pain kind of overruled it and I mostly thought about the pain I had but am definitely grateful to be getting a little more air to my lungs.

The drop, however, has increased my muscle pain seeing as it's pulling my muscles down towards the ground. It sits at the very top of my bump and I cry daily because of the pain. Heat still helps but is only a temporary reliever.

One lady gave me a small pep talk today. After listening to her, I completely believed that the baby would come a little early and that I would soon be done with this pain. But after a little while, I realized that she was just a good motivational speaker and let's face it, there's at least 5 1/2 more weeks of this.

I'm pretty sure night time is my favorite time of the day. I finally get to lay down, take the weight of my belly off of myself and put it on the couch, and I get to relax. It seems like everyday there is just so much going on that by the time night comes, I am just so grateful I made it through another day. I wish I could say that weekends are great because I get to relax, but they're actually a lot more busy and stressful than my weekdays. I'm looking forward to the days after Katie gets here when I just sit at home, exhausted, and don't have to walk and drive around Spanish Fork, getting lost and when I don't have to do anything else work related if I don't want to. Instead, I plan to spend many hours each day watching "House Hunters" and "Mythbusters."

week 34 day 3

I think I've figured it out. By about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, my body is so tired of holding up the extra weight on my belly that my back screams that it's hurting and just above my belly burns in pain. A few days ago I was hoping it was just a temporary thing but I'm pretty sure now that it is going to be something that I get to deal with for the next 6 weeks.

I'm quite the organizer and because of this, I like to go through our finances quite often and check to see how we're doing for a house and for Katie. I was going through the baby registry list to see what else we really need for the baby and wow, there's quite a few things that are still left. I'm just looking at this box of clothes that we have for her and I'm glad she won't be naked but I really wish I could take some of the clothes back that I bought for her (I already washed them so I could store them) and buy other things she might actually need like diapers, bottles, toys to keep her entertained and to work on her strength, a crib, mattress, changing pad, a car seat ... yeah, I'm pretty sure she doesn't need a new outfit for every day of the month for any of these things. But, one thing is for sure, this girl is going to have a lot of clothes.

week 34 day 1

We are now down to 6 weeks until the due date!

The past few days have been painful but thanks to Kristin, last night and tonight I was able to use a rice pack to help relieve some pain. So thank you, Kristin!

Today the ward choir director was looking for a pianist for the 4th of July and asked me if I would be willing to play. I said yes but that I'm due the day before so I don't want to leave her without a pianist that day. Not only did that give me a good clue as to what my new calling is going to be, but it also made me realize how close our due date is.

Mike's so excited and I'm getting pretty nervous. I'm mostly taking this one step at a time so right now I feel slightly stressed about not actually having a car seat or a crib. I'm still counting on her coming on July 6th but there's always a slight possibility she'll come before July 3rd, our actual due date.

week 33 day 6

The first trimester sleepiness has kicked in again yet for some reason, it now feels so much worse. If I could, I would seriously sleep all day ... or at least waste my day by lying on the couch and taking naps every now and then.

Yesterday morning, Mike and I both woke up at 11 am. We had gone to sleep shortly after midnight so we got quite a bit of rest. This morning I dragged myself out of bed to make sure I got the things done today that I needed to ... and it's Friday and I really didn't want to be stuck working at 7 pm again tonight.

The past couple of weeks, I have woken up every morning so grateful that I was able to sleep in and that I was able to stay asleep most of the night. It's crazy how I've taken sleep for granted for all of these years. I'm just sad that I don't have more time before I'm going to have to be up in the middle of the night and won't be able to sleep in for quite a while.

week 33 day 3

Our doctor let us know now that as of today, they will not put me on bed rest if I start to go into labor! That's a weird thought. He said that 92% of women will go into labor before they reach 41 weeks. I hope to not be induced but I'm all about medicine so I'll do whatever the doctor thinks is best.

He also asked us if we had a car seat and a crib all ready to go. Nope. Hopefully this weekend we'll be able to go throw down a bunch of cash for one of each.

Yesterday, Katie was up in my ribs all day. I had no idea that a baby pushing my ribs would feel so weird. I tried to explain it to Mike but it's completely indescribable.

I'm about 1 cm smaller than "normal" but I still feel like that's expected. My blood pressure is also lower and I've gained about 3 pounds in the last 4 weeks but everything is looking good and Katie's heart is beating strong!

week 33 day 2

Back from Hawaii and a million times more tired than last week, it's back to real life. I explained to Mike last night that for the past couple of months, I've had something big to look forward to and Hawaii was the last big thing I had to look forward to because the next thing is having a baby ... and that's scary.

This was the picture that was taken yesterday. I had all of my clothes that I just bought that actually fit in the wash so I had to wear an old shirt that didn't fit. I forgot to mention that 2 Fridays ago I went to Target and bought a few shirts that are a little longer and fit a little better. Disappointingly, most of them were regular shirts - the maternity clothes are mostly still huge on me. I just thought for sure that by 33 weeks, I'd be able to wear maternity shirts.

I got about 2 hours of sleep 2 nights ago as we were making our way back home from Hawaii. Our plane left at 10:20 pm Hawaii time on Saturday night and arrived in Seattle at 7:04 am. We thought by some miracle we may have a chance of catching the 7:05 am flight back to SLC but we obviously missed it and had to wait until 10:16 am to leave to SLC.

Trying to sleep on the airplane was a lot more painful than I imagined it was going to be. I had so much back pain and pain just above my uterus that I couldn't sleep. I looked around at all the people near me and couldn't believe they were all asleep. There was no way to feel comfortable - even while flying First Class. So I ate my way through all the food the stewardess kept offering and slept every now and then.

Anyway, this morning, I got a lovely wake-up sound of a kid running upstairs. He didn't just run for a minute or so. No, he ran for at least an hour. But I realized that maybe it's okay because in 7 weeks, we're going to have a crying baby that might make it a little hard for our neighbors to sleep. And sleeping in isn't a pleasure I'll get very often. Although I would've really like to have slept this morning because my body is still trying to run on Hawaii time and is still exhausted from not sleeping on the plane.

Our little girl is getting big and moving quite a bit. She's been playing with my ribs all morning and trying to stretch out. I feel bad I'm keeping her so contained but I'll admit, I enjoy being able to keep a watchful eye on her all day without having to move. All I have to do is look down. It requires little energy and I like it.

week 32 day 1

Saturday we went to a hospital tour and discussion about birth and such. I have been back and forth as to whether I thought it would be worth it to attend but after it was over, I'm so glad we went.

There were a couple women in the class that were 39 weeks and one was even effacing and dilated which was just crazy. We sat near them during lunch and they seemed so ... normal. I just don't know if I would be so calm at 39 weeks ... or laughing as much as they did.

I think if anything, this 6-hour class Saturday made us more excited to have our baby. A lot of my questions were answered and I feel a lot more relieved about everything that's going to happen in some weeks. Our due date is 8 weeks away!

And so to celebrate, we are going to be heading to Hawaii in about 11 hours! Adios!

week 31 day 6

Hello big belly! Since we lost our scales in the move, I don't have a clue how much I've gained in the past couple of weeks but it feels like a ton. I'm puffy and big and uncomfortable. I have also recently discovered my first signs of stretch marks. I'm pretty sad about it but it was expected so I don't feel too bad about it. Plus, this is all for a good cause. I hope Katie appreciates me.

week 31 day 5

Last night was the worst night of pregnancy thus far. I had so much back pain and so much pain just above my uterus that I nearly broke down during a staff training. The rest of the evening I laid on the couch grunting every time I had to move at all. Mike was nice enough to give me a couple of massages but they never last long because I get too ticklish.

Today I'm feeling much better. I have pain but most of my back pain is gone. I'm not sure if I actually want her to, but I told Katie last night that if she is ready and wants to come out in a couple of weeks, I'd be fine with that. The pain just gets way too much for me to handle sometimes and I feel bad that I'm blaming her.

week 31 day 4

I'm definitely going to miss having our little girl moving around in my belly. I can't even imagine what it will be like to not have her in me. All of the movement is so normal now, except for the hiccups. They almost always bother me for some reason. And they definitely don't help my RLS.

I'm definitely hoping my RLS will subside more once this pregnancy is over. It gets so bad in the evening. The more tired I am, the worst it gets and Mike and I have been up late these past few days with the new move and other things that have been going on.

I also look forward to being able to sit for longer than 15 minutes without having pain!

week 31 day 3

Moving and working is slow going while pregnant, for me at least. It's crazy how much slower I work. My body just is so tired. Everyday I wake up and think, "I'm going to take a nap around 1 or 2 pm. That gives me enough time to get some work in before and after my nap." Yet everyday, I make it all the way to 5 or 6 pm and that's when it hits me. I'm exhausted.

Luckily Katie is able to get the sleep she needs whether I'm able to sleep or not. The past few days have been fun with Katie getting bigger. I can always feel her moving and she moves a lot! Last night, Mike watched her rolling and twisting. I like when he can finally see what I've been feeling all day.

By the way, our new place finally has room for Katie. We have the option of setting her crib up in our room or her own room ... that she will share with a bookcase, desk, and a few other random things that are hidden away. We'll also have room in our living room for her things and possibly even a high chair! Too bad we don't have any of it but hopefully we will in 8 weeks!

week 31 day 1

I can't believe there are only 9 weeks left! Nine is a single digit! I haven't been in a single digit for over 20 weeks - back when I was only 9 weeks pregnant! But I knew these last few weeks would go by fast because of our move, a work thing I need to have planned by tomorrow since the activity is tomorrow, and Hawaii!

In one week, we'll be at the airport, waiting for our plane so we can leave Utah and get to Hawaii. A short 7 hours later, we'll be there enjoying the lack of snow/hail/sleet. I am planning to definitely live it up since this for sure will be our last big vacation before the baby. We thought our last trip in November would be it but we were blessed with another last vacation ... which is very much needed.

Last night in the middle of the night I woke up with some intense pain. I've felt a couple of braxton-hicks contractions but what I was feeling last night didn't feel the same. Now that I'm awake and thinking clearly, it probably was one but when I'm half asleep and scared out of my mind, it's really hard to decipher pain. I woke Mike up because I was crying and scared. It ended up going away but right before Mike went back to sleep, I said once again, "I don't know why I ever thought I could have a natural birth."

Two nights ago when I was wide awake and couldn't sleep, I was sitting on the couch. Katie was quite active and I looked down and my stomach literally looked like a wave. The big bump would move to the left and then to the right. She repeated this multiple times. It was so fun just to watch her because I hadn't been able to all day. So I rubbed the little bump (which is only awkward because what if it's her butt?), told her she was a silly girl, and I rolled onto my side and she stopped moving.

Fun times. I can't even imagine the fun we're going to have in the upcoming months!