Week 34 Doctor's Appointment

Another week has passed and little Frankie is still baking. The doc said his heartbeat is perfect! I have to go back in one week to get checked again. For now, the doctor said to stay on bedrest! It is kind of depressing as I was hoping for permission for a slight increase in activity but I know this is what is best for Frankie. So I will countdown until next Monday when I have my 35 week appointment and hope for permission to increase my activity then.

To pass the time the past month, I have been working on a cross stitch for the nursery (which is close to being completed), and watching tons of TV and movies. Netflix streaming through the PS3 has been great! I am currently watching the first season of Heroes and Frank and I are working on season 3 of Dexter and Season 2 of NCIS.

Here is a pic of what the final cross stitch design will look like and a pic of how far along I am on it:

Doctor's Appointment 33 weeks

I went back to the doctor today for another check up. Frankie looks good. He is now measuring normal instead of a couple of weeks big. My cervix has increased a bit and the doc just said to keep doing what I am doing. I have to go back in a week to get checked again. Only two more weeks to 35 weeks and they said I may be able to increase my activity.

Belly pictures: 33W

My belly seems to be growing out of control!

Nursery Furniture

The crib and dresser/changing table combo came in last week. Frank went and picked it up and put them together this past weekend. The room is actually starting to look like it is almost ready!

Nursery status

Before all the bed rest started, Frank and I worked on the nursery over the Christmas holidays. We bought moulding and I assisted Frank in putting it up in the room and then I painted the moulding. Here are some before and after pictures. There are still some areas that need to be touched up but that will have to wait until I make it to 36 weeks or after Frankie arrives.

The before picture (below)

The moulding before Frank cut it (above).

The saw Frank rented (below).

 

The first two walls completed. (above)

The last pieces in place (above)

And the final pictures after painting the moulding (below)

Strict Bed Rest

I went back to the doctor Monday morning hoping to be told I could return to work for at least partial days. Well, that did not happen and looks like it won't happen for the remainder of the pregnancy. My cervix had shortened again and since I had been on bed rest for a week, the doctors were not happy with the decrease. The doctor gave me a shot of steriods to help mature Frankie's lungs and set up another appointment for Tuesday afternoon to recheck my cervix and get another shot of the steriods. The doc also said she would prefer that I not only rest but try to stay horizontal as much as possible! She told me it would be a good idea to be prepared to be admitted to the hospital Tuesday so I had to go home and throw together a bag.

So with my hospital bag packed and a plethera of things to do (book, cross stitch, puzzle book, etc), Frank and I headed to my doctor's appointment Tuesday. My cervix was back up to a little of 2 cm so the doc gave me the steriod shot and said keep resting and sent me home! YAY! I am so much happier cuddling with the cats on the couch than I would have been in a hospital room! I have to go back in a week to get checked again but the docs are hoping that I can make it to at least 35 weeks.

Bed Rest

I went back to the doctor today for a follow up visit. She checked my cervix again and found that it had shortened compared to Thursday's visit so the doctor ordered bed rest for the next week to see if my cervix would stabilize. It is so hard to sit at home knowing there are many projects around me that I cannot work on! Luckily the nursery is almost done. We ordered the furniture this past weekend and the only other major project for the room is picking out the carpet. So this week I am going to try to fill my days with video games, thank you cards, movies and maybe a puzzle. Tomorrow, I will spend some time posting the updated pictures of the nursery.

Belly pictures: 30W4D

Crazy week!

What I thought would be a pretty laid back week turned out to be anything but! Tuesday morning I noticed some spotting and called my doctor to let them know. I was asked to come in immediately to get checked out. Turns out the spotting was unrelated to the pregnancy so it was not an issue but the doc did an ultrasound and discovered my cervix was only 1.6 cm (it was previously 3.5 cm). Frankie had also positioned himself head down and the amniotic fluid was funneling downward towards my cervix leading the doctor to believe that my body was preparing for labor soon! He sent me to the hospital to be monitored for contractions. I arrived at Cedars Sinai around 3:30 pm and was admitted to the Labor and Delivery floor and hooked up to a fetal heartbeat monitor belt and a contraction monitor belt. Turns out I was having lots of contractions even though I was not feeling them. Frank arrived shortly after I got all hooked up on the machines. The OB doctor came in and did another ultrasound and my cervix was measuring 2.0 cm which they were much happier with than the 1.6 measurement at the doctor's office. They decided to keep me overnight to monitor the contractions and check my cervix again. They also checked to see if I was dilating and thankfully I was not but I was already 50% effaced (the doc said this was ok since I was not dilating). I continued to have contractions but I only felt one of the them all night. At 6 am, they did another ultrasound and exam and nothing had changed so they let me go home but ordered me to rest until I could talk to my doctor on Thursday.  I went in Thursday afternoon for my 30 week appointment and my doctor said everything looks great. She did an ultrasound and Frankie kicked the ultrasound sensor causing the doctor to laugh. She was amazed how active he was the whole time she was checking him out! My cervix was back up over 3 cm but I have to go back again on Monday to have it measured again before they will clear me to go back to work. Luckily we had Thursday and Friday off anyways so I didn't miss much work last week. After sitting in the hospital for over 12 hours and then at home doing nothing all day Wednesday, I really don't want to get put on bed rest! I think I would go crazy! But Frankie seems to have settled down for now and decided to stay put. I did have two real contractions last night (not Braxton Hicks) but they were 2 hours apart so nothing to worry about. Coming soon: recap of our Christmas, pictures of the new additions to the nursery, and this weeks belly photo.

Belly Pictures: 29W2D

Here are the 29 week 2 day pictures. My belly looks like it is ready to pop!

Childbirth Class

Frank and I attended Childbirth class Friday night. There were only four couples in the class including us so it was intimate. We watched multiple videos of actual births and were surprised that neither one of us were bothered by them. Frank kept saying "that is so cool" every time a baby popped out of someone! I think he may watch the birth of little Frankie! The class was 5 hours long but I think we both walked away happy with what we learned. Outside of the information regarding everything that will take place in birth, I also learned how to get little Frankie kicking now (which would have been nice to know last Thursday when he was quieter than usual and making me nervous). We learned that we don't really need to go to the hospital until my contractions are about 4-5 minutes apart but Frank would like to aim for 3 min! (Not happening! we will be leaving for the hospital at 5 min - assuming I can make it that long!) Our plan at the moment is to make it as long as I can without drugs and then have an epidural. Frank learned lots of ways to massage and apply pressure that will help me relax and get through contractions. It was great to have him massaging me all night! I was anxious about the class because I knew Frank was dreading it but he actually seemed to enjoy himself. I definitely feel more relaxed about going into birth after the class. We found our classmates to be entertaining: two of the women were utterly terrified! One of them kept asking the instructor questions like "what if I just freak out?" or "what do I do if I am terrified?" to which the instructor responded "I don't understand the question, are you terrified of the pain?" and the woman responded "I don't know, I am just scared!" I am very happy that I do not feel that way!

New Bouncy Seat

I went by Sears yesterday and inspected the Winnie the Pooh bouncy seat side by side with the Fisher Price seat we already have. I think maybe that particular Fisher Price seat I choose is just crap cause the Winnie the Pooh seat is much sturdier! I went ahead and bought it and I am taking the Fisher Price seat back to BabiesRus this weekend.  Here is a pic of the new bouncy seat except the one I bought is actually green. I will have to take a picture of it later.  In addition to vibrating like the FP seat, it also plays music and the toys all come off and can be changed while the FP seat had a toy in the middle that would not come off.  I am very happy with the new bouncy seat!

Glucose Test Update

The nurse called me back this afternoon to let me know the doctors decided I do not need to take the 3 hour Glucose Test. I was told to "be careful eating too much sugar"! Frank will be happy to hear that!

Uh Oh, Glucose test results!

I heard from the nurse this morning regarding my Glucose test...... She said while I passed (yay), I am on the high end of the scale so she has to talk to my doctors to decide if I have to take the 3 hour Glucose test. Hopefully, she will call back soon!

On a happier note: Frank and I bought the Travel system this weekend which consists of the stroller and baby carrier/car seat. We can now bring baby Frankie home from the hospital should he decide to make an early appearance! We haven't yet put it together though due to some unfortunate events in the nursery. During the downpours of rain this past weekend, the nursery ceiling started to leak a bit. We have to have someone come in and fix the damage and figure out where the leak is coming from. So, any plans for working on the nursery are being put on hold until we get the ceiling fixed.

Bouncy Seat: I received the Fisher price Hoppy Days Bouncer from my registry as a baby shower gift. Thinking all of the bouncy seats would be the same; I just picked one online and put it on the registry. Turns out they are not all equal! While I love the look of the Hoppy Days Bouncer, the construction was shady at best! After getting it put together, the whole thing wobbles too much for me to be comfortable placing our baby in it! I have also gotten reviews from various people that they ended up not liking the Fisher Price Bouncers at all and bought another one. Now I am off to the store to actually inspect the different seats offered to hopefully make a better choice!

Belly Pictures: 27W4D

I have received multiple requests for pictures of my pregnant belly. So here is my first one. I took these this morning. I am currently 27 Weeks 4 days pregnant.

27W Doctor's Appt

I had my 27 week appointment this morning. I got to hear little Frankie's heartbeat but no ultrasound today. The doctor said all is well. My weight gain shot up since my last appointment but the doctor said I am right on target so not to worry about it. She said I will most likely gain another 8-10 pounds in the next 13 weeks! Frankie is still measuring a week bigger so my due date may be sooner than March 9th. I had my glucose test this morning but I won't find out the results until next week. My next appointment is in 3 weeks and then I have to start going back every two weeks! Time seems to be flying by now!

Frankie is really active now! Feeling him move is very comforting but sometimes he gets in the worst positions!

Frank & I usually go to Catalina in January to celebrate our friend Foots' birthday. Frank has been on the bubble about going this year since I will be 34 Weeks pregnant but the doctor gave me her approval today! Hopefully I can convince Frank! That may be the last little vacation we get for a while!

Trip to Greenville/Baby Shower

Over the weekend, I flew to Greenville, SC to see family and attend a baby shower thrown by Jessica Bennett & Elizabeth Bynum! The shower was a lot of fun and everything was adorable! Jessica made a diaper cake and Elizabeth created these super cute Thank You cards! And the Giraffe was hand drawn by Nancy (Elizabeth's mom)! Here are a few preliminary pics. I will post more later this week.

We went dancing Friday night with Elizabeth, Megan, Nancy & Bill, and my mom. Megan and I did more sitting than dancing!

(Above) Diaper cake (created by Jessica) and framed invitation (drawing by Nancy) signed by everyone at the shower. (Below) Thank You card created by Elizabeth!

Highschool friends: Jessica Bennett, Elizabeth Bynum, Michele Daly, me, & Megan Reichert

Thanksgiving Weekend

Frank and I spent the Thanksgiving holidays with our friends in Livermore, CA.  We had a great time! All the guys were able to get in a round of golf and I did some shopping with Elizabeth and Charlie. Our original plan was to go to BabiesRus and purchase a glider/ottoman that was 50% off on Black Friday but on Thanksgiving day Elizabeth came across a mommy in Livermore from her mommy boards that had a nicer glider/ottoman that she was trying to sell. This one was bigger than the one at BabiesRus so it would allow Frank to enjoy the comfy chair in addition to me. We loved the chair and ended up spending less than we would have at BabiesRus! Once we got home, I set up the chair and the cats immediately took over! It looks like I might have company while nursing once little Frankie gets here!

I also found an adorable trash can at Burlington that fits with our safari theme and the colors were perfect!

Crib Bedding Set

We have picked the bedding set for the crib. We decided on the Lambs & Ivy Baby Cocoa set. It works perfectly with the safari theme and I just love the animals! I am going to try to create a large picture to hang on the wall using these animals as inspiration and using the paint colors from the room. Now I just need to find wall appliques of monkeys that will work well with this design or figure out a way to create them myself.

No luck with Craigslist.....

It turned out to be a very disappointing weekend with regards to the nursery furniture. The glider/ottoman we were supposed to go look at Friday night sold by the early afternoon and then we were supposed to look at a crib Sunday morning but the woman "forgot" we were coming and wasn't home! On the upside, we spent an hour or two in Babies-R-Us and finished up some of the main registry items. I am sure many of you know how difficult Frank can be when it comes to shopping but he is also extremely opinionated! But we managed to pick out a stroller/car seat combo and the bedding for the crib. Here is a picture of the one we decided on: Graco Quattro Deluxe Travel System in Deco & the matching PackNPlay in Deco:

I also discovered over the weekend that the exact glider we were looking to purchase off craigslist will be 50% off at Babies-R-Us the Friday after Thanksgiving! So Elizabeth Peace and I will be venturing out at 4:30 am the day after Thanksgiving to purchase the Glider! This will be my first Black Friday shopping experience!

Frank and I have decided to hold off on the nursery furniture and look around a bit more to see if there may be a more affordable set that we like. We have decided we like the "chestnut" color or lighter wood with the paint in the nursery but we can't decide if we want to spend the extra money for a Lifetime Crib. So many decisions! In the meantime, since Frank is the electronics expert, I have given him the task of picking out the baby monitor.