Playing catch up.

Oh my, a lot has happened in the last couple weeks.  On April 10th (my birthday), I went to the hospital because there were some signs that maybe my water was breaking.  They checked me all out and I was not going into labor.  Unfortunately, my first two blood pressure readings were high...very high for me.  Because of this, and a few other symptoms I was having, they admitted me to run more tests for 24 hours.  Not exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday at all.  Luckily, my blood pressure stayed down after that and the rest of my tests came back okay, so I went home the next day but my doctor put me on bed rest.  Now bed rest might sound awesome but it is not really that great.  It's so much laying around that is sucks away any energy that I might have had.  By the third day, I was already miserable.  Last week, I felt sick all week.  Headaches everyday, stomach pain and of course no energy.  I went to my normal appointment on Wednesday and a routine check-up brought up some potential concerns.  I was put on the monitor and the baby looked great but my doctor ordered a bunch of tests and lab work to find out what was going on.  On Friday, I had a sonogram of my gall bladder and of Jake to check his growth.  I went back to the doctor and they put me back on the monitor and when it was all said and done...everything was fine!  After all that, Jake is healthy (almost 7lbs) and right on track and I am still hanging in there.  I am still just hanging out at home but I have added a little more activity which helps keep my energy up and makes me feels better. My doctor wants me to get to 38 weeks, which would be next week, and then she may induce me.  Knowing that everything is fine has been such a stress relief.  I feel much better in general but I am still very ready to have this baby.  I am tired of being pregnant and so ready to meet Jake!

The final countdown.

I still have 43 days until I am due but I have decided to go on maternity leave no later than May 4th...as long as I make it that long. That means that when I updated my work calendar for April today, I could officially start counting down the days until I am unchained from my desk. You would think a desk job would be ideal when you are pregnant but nothing makes my back hurt more than sitting at my desk all day. On top of that, now that I am getting very large, I am running out of vertical belly space and my rib cage is killing me, especially when I am sitting and everything is more compact. I am so uncomfortable (to put it nicely) that I am down to working 32 hours a week. I stay home on Wednesdays to get a "rest" in the middle of the week. Last week was my first short week and it was nice. It does nothing for the back and rib pain when I am at work but that break in the middle makes it easier to get to the weekend for sure.

I will be 34 weeks tomorrow and I know I really have 6 more weeks to go but I am so ready to have this baby now. Partially, due to all the pain but also because I am dying to meet him. I want to see what he looks like, what color his hair will be, what his personality will be like...I am a very curious person so the waiting is killing me. It's the old idea that the closer something gets, the further away it can feel.

I think we are pretty ready for him to come home. We need to give the house a good deep clean and put up the last set of blinds and the valances in the nursery but other than that we are ready as far as the house goes. We have just about everything we need for a newborn. At least I think we do. I am sure he will come and we will realize we needed something else but there will be lots of people to run to the store if needed.

We finished our 4 week birthing class last week. I actually really enjoyed it but I won't miss getting home so late on Thursdays. I really liked our instructor. She was energetic and very knowledgable. I can definitely say I am more prepared for labor but not really less scared. Okay, maybe scared it not the right word. I am just having trouble connecting the concept of labor and delievery to me. I can picture us with our baby but I cannot picture myself going through labor. I really don't know why. I do know that I am going to try to go natural. I am not ruling out the epidural but I am not planning on having one. This pregnancy has not been a cake walk so far so I think I can handle delievery. We shall see...hopefully soon!!

It's finally done...well, almost.

So after months of work (and lots of days of doing nothing), the nursery is finally done! Well, almost. We have another set of blinds to install and the valances to hang. We also have our wall storage to hang and fill, which we should have done today, maybe Friday. But other than that, we are ready to show it to baby Jake...and you!

This is the view from the hallway door.

This is the view from the living room door. Millie insisted on being in the picture.

Here is the crib with the bedding.

The is the decal above the bed. I love it so much because it is one of my favorite books with the plane for Tim! Plus I got it on etsy for only $10.

Here is a close up of the bedding. It is very simple, which I love. I am not into anything too bright or things covered in animals, cartoons and characters. I have always wanted the room to be very sweet and calm...cute without being "cutesy." Of course when Jake sleeps in it, it will be stripped down to just the sheet but it's fun to see it all done up for now.

This is the dresser. The soccer ball is a piggy bank from Tim's parents. We definitely racked up tons of soccer and football things but the soccer ball bank will be a lifelong keepsake.

Here is the changing table. I got the plain baskets from Target. I like that they give things a home and keep the shelves from getting cluttered...hopefully.

Here is the quite comfy glider. Sometimes I go in there and sit here just to relax.

This is the finished closet. I am very happy with the result. It is a much better use of the space than when we started. It still has lots of storage space as well which is nice for the things we got but don't need in the first couple months.

Finally, I had to highlight these baskets. I got them at Michaels and I am so happy. I cannot tell you how many stores I went to looking for baskets...not to mention all the baskets I looked at online. These fit perfectly and are the cute but not "cutesy" I was going for so I LOVE them!

T-Minus 10 Weeks and Counting

I did it! I managed to cross the 30 week mark. I have really been looking forward to getting to 30 weeks. It feels so much closer now. 10 weeks or less! I am so ready. Well, physically ready that is. My back is still a mess my belly has been giving me new aches, pains and cramps everyday. We still have a lot to do to rally be ready, though. All the nursery furniture is put together but it has to be arranged and we need to get a mattress for the crib. All the clothes I have often so far are in the closet in bags so I need to wash those and start putting them away. My baby shower is this weekend so hopefully we will be much closer to be ready for Jake to come home. I am really looking forward to the fun the 3 of us will have!

Sorry for the delay...

Wow, I have really been slacking in the blogging department. It has been almost a whole month since I have said anything. Jake continues to get bigger, although I still feel like my stomach stays the same size. Tim says I show more and more everyday but I think I still just look fat. I have not really gained any size in my lower body though so I am very front heavy with sticks for legs. The front heavy is what is killing my back and nothing has changed in that department other than getting as used to the pain as I possibly can. I have added a few more aches and pains but they are not as intense or consistant as the back pain.

The carpet in the nursery was installed last week and it looks amazing! We also got all the furniture put together and the ceiling fan moved from our bedroom to the nursery. I promise I have pictures that I will get posted very soon because it all looks so great. Now we just need to start accumulating actual baby items, like a car seat, stoller, baby moniter, diapers, bottles, etc. and we will be set. Our baby shower is coming up so hopefully that will help.

Tomorrow, I start my third trimester and I could not be happier. The 2nd trimester goes the slowest by far and being able to say I am in the 3rd trimester makes me feel like I am in the home stretch. I am very ready to meet baby Jake. I had the glucose test on Friday and it looks like that went well although I have not gotten the official word from the doctor yet. Today, I have to get a Rogam shot. Since I have a negative blood type, if the baby is positive, I run the risk of developing antibodies that could attack the baby. This shot prevents that. I hate shots but I am sure I will be just fine.

Yesterday, my mom, Tim and I went to the open house at the hospital. We got to tour the maternity floor where I am having the baby and see the breastfeeding clinic. It definintely made me more excited to have him but it still feels very far away at this point. Hopefully, the next 85 days (or less) will go by quickly. But then time can slow back down so we can enjoy our little guy as long as possible.

Oh me back!

One summer, my dad worked as a maintenance man at an apartment complex. This was a great job for him since he loves to be outside and ever since we moved back to Kansas, he has missed having a pool to take care of. At that job, he worked with a man who was a bit lazy. He would call my dad and to let him know that my dad would be doing all the work that day pretty frequently and blame it on back pain. He was foreign so he would come out as, "Oh, me back!

Since about November, most days that is all I can think...oh me back!! It started out at mostly just sciatica which was much easier to deal with. While it will send terrible shocks down my leg and has caused me to almost fall down the stairs too many times to count, it usually passes fairly quickly. I can deal with the sciatica with little trouble. It is this somewhat new back pain that has quickly made a name for itself...unbearable!

It is an almost indescribable pain in the center of my back. It is much worse during the week at work. I can usually get to about 11, maybe noon before it rears its ugly head and stays with me the rest of the day. I have been to the chiropractor, tried different stretches, Tylenol...I even have a new chair with one of those mesh back supports hooked to the back. Outside of spending the majority of the day laying down, nothing helps. My doctor has restricted some of my work activity and limited the amount of weight I should be lifting but it has really made no difference. I am trying my best to be a trooper. I know being pregnant is not a cake walk and I do not want to come off as a whiner but it makes most of my days pretty miserable. I keep hoping it will get better but I know the reality is I am only going to get bigger and this is only going to get worse. I welcome any new suggestions on how to manage this pain.

Shopping spree!

Tim and I went to KC today for a little shopping spree. We went to Once Upon a Child and then the Legends. We ended up with quite a haul, most of which was on sale. I also had gifts cards from Christmas to spend at Motherhood Maternity. Between the Motherhood store and Old Navy sale items, I ended up with 4 shirts, a pajama top and pajama bottoms so I am quite pumped. We also found some awesome deals for baby Jake:

This onesie is obviously my favorite! There was a whole stack of them at Old Navy and they were on sale so I was ecstatic! He will be ready to root on the Huskers come fall.
We also got this super cute polo onesie and jeans on sale at Old Navy.
I did not even know they made button up onesies but I was pleased to find this little number on sale at the Gap.
We got this airplane shirt at Carters. Since Tim has an aerospace engineering degree, Jake just had to have an airplane tshirt!
I got this skeleton shirt for $4! Not only is it great for Halloween but it can be his Nebraska Blackshirts shirt too!
We are finding a lot of cute onesies on sale but poor Jake may have no pants to wear so we got these great khakis at Carters on sale.
Here is the start of our haul from Once Upon A Child. I was so excited to go after the great things we found at the store in Memphis. Unfortunately, the Overland Park store was a bit of a let down. About 3/4s of the store was all girls clothes and other items. The baby boy sections were nearly bare and full of onesies and no shorts or pants. We did find a few cute things like these two onesies and these tiny swim trunks from Grandpa and Mimi's pool!
Here are two more onesies we got. The onesies were all $1.50 each!
This sleep sack is so soft, I would not mind sleeping in it!
Cute little onesie.
Tiny baby shoes. $1.50 each!