35 weeks, bed rest & a false alarm.

today marks 35 weeks.  and we don't have a baby yet, so that's good!

i thought i'd try to do a weekly post at this point, we're not sure if we will make it too long after going off the procardia.  and, i'd like to document these last moments!

kinda blurred.

inanimate comparison:  a honeydew melon

maternity clothes:  yes, but i recently found some cute long and lean tanks from target that i've been sporting and they're not maternity!

stretch marks:  still no.

sleep:  that's been touch and go this week with all the commotion.  i got some amazing sleep last night and i will explain why when i get to the false alarm part.
 
best moment this week:  continuing to put finishing touches on the nursery!  we got some fun things from ikea and i'm hoping that, once i get off bed rest, i can do some running around to find the rest of what i need! 

miss anything?:  the pool, outside, summer stuff.  if you know me, you know i live for the pool!  we have a neighborhood pool, and while i'm sure that i could consider floating in the pool bed rest, it is soooooo hot.  my doctor is already worried about being dehydrated, so i figured i probably shouldn't push it in this heat.  i've been getting 30-45 minutes outside everyday, until i can't take it anymore. 

wish i could swim with this doll-face. my niece, emma.

 movement:  i'm constantly getting jabbed on my right side.  it has to be a little knee or foot.  i can't wait to meet those little knees and feet!

cravings:  nothing lately.  but i've had enough sweets in the house to satisfy any sweet craving before i even know i have it.

sickness:  just headaches from the procardia.

gender:  can't wait!

labor signs:  i still get some contractions if i'm up too long.  the other night, i did have a menstrual cramp feeling, even while laying down.  i held out but finally called my doctor who had me take my next dose of meds a little early.  i chugged a ton of water, took it easy and they went away.

symptoms:  nothing worth writing home about.

belly button:  still in!  well, maybe not "in"...but not out either.

wedding rings:  i'm down to just my engagement ring.

happy or moody?:  happy to be home.  happy jake is home!  so happy jake is home!  i should dedicate a whole post to him.  he's been such a good bed rest buddy.

 
looking forward to:  one-ish more week of bed rest and then the home stretch!

here are some pics of what i've been up to.  it's been a great time to write some thank yous and work on a "project" for a workshop i attended.  i'm getting a graduate credit towards my masters +30 which = pay raise!

blokus.  if you've never played, it's a fun puzzle/problem solving game.  jake beat me.

blew some raspberries with this stud.

and tons of snuggles with her.  she is loving bed rest.  she's not supposed to be on the couch, oops.

about that false alarm...

without giving too many details, i started a "slow leak" [for lack of a better term].  i couldn't exactly tell what it was, it wasn't a gush by any means, but it was consistent enough to alarm me.  i let it go about 12-ish hours and then i started to google.  why i didn't just call my doctor, i don't know.  after not sleeping the night before because i was a little nervous that my water may have broken, i decided i couldn't do that for another night.  so, i called.  the on-call ob told me to just go in and get checked because, with the baby's head so low, it could be blocking anything from fully "leaking".  so, at 11:30 last night, jake and i headed to the hospital [without any sort of bag, by the way...dumb].  we got in pretty quickly, got an exam and litmus test and....false alarm.  my water did not break.  they said it could have been a combination of a] baby having a choke hold on my bladder and, you guessed it, i tinkled... b] having been examined monday and thursday and/or c] just normal pregnancy stuff.  either way, i'm glad we went and i ended up getting some a m a z i n g sleep last night.  worth it!

so, i've joined the club of false alarms.  i'm not sure why i was so hesitant.  jake made a good point.  if the baby were here and we were concerned about something being wrong, we would call or go to the doctor and not chance it.  so, why would this be any different?  he's right.  and the sweet nurse told me it happens all the time.

hopefully, our next trip to the hospital is the real deal.  ...i better go pack that bag.

...

notes from my couch...

went to the doc today after 2.5 official days of bed rest.

got "checked".
p.s. why does no one really talk about this?
it is bah-rutal.
i imagine this to be worse than an epidural.  am i right?
it immediately brought tears to my eyes!
so, if you're pregnant...don't say i didn't warn you.

back to the progress...
there really wasn't any.
which is good.
she said i maybe moved another 1/2 cm but she wasn't concerned.
baby's head was extremely low
(said she had to go under the head to reach my cervix)
the plan is...
stop the procardia next sunday or monday and just see what happens!!
she was not convinced that i would go full term,
based on how low the head is...
which is why i need to really stay off my feet this next week,
so baby can get a little stronger and chunkier.

thank you so much to my friends and family who have gone out of their way to help us out while jake was gone and for continuing to offer help!  not sure what we'd do without you.  a giant thanks to my mother.in.law who dropped everything to be with me.  needless to say, no more travel for jake until we have a baby!!
 

34 weeks and maternity photos.

thank you to my friend, emilie, who was kind enough to snap a few maternity photos for us.  for a quick little session, it turned out perfect.  i was a little hesitant to get maternity photos, but a few people talked me into it and i'm glad we ended up doing it.

here ya go.  consider these the 34 week bump pics.

[p.s. the first day of bed rest wasn't so bad.  i had many visitors who brought me goodies ...and my dad and step mom came over to treat me to a steak dinner.  i'm feeling pretty good, minus some headaches, and jake comes home tomorrow!]

  
inanimate comparison:  a pineapple

maternity clothes:  a necessity.

stretch marks:  not yet. 

sleep:  not great. 
 
best moment this week:  not having a preterm baby! 

miss anything?:  i missed my last day of work!!  and, obviously, being on best rest...i miss not being able to get around.  but, it's for a good cause.  :)

movement:  go.go.go.

cravings:  icecream bars.

sickness:  gone. 

gender:  50/50

labor signs:  well, this took a whole new turn.  if you missed it, go back a few posts.  i still have some tightening if i am up too much, but that's why i'm on bed rest...and shouldn't be up.  i will get checked again thursday to make sure we aren't progressing more!

symptoms:  just plain ole uncomfortable.  but, again, for a good cause.

belly button:  still in!  well, maybe not "in"...but not out either.

wedding rings:  i'm down to just my engagement ring.

happy or moody?:  had a little anxiety with the scare, but i'm pretty happy and i know i'm in good hands.

looking forward to:  jake coming home tomorrow!!!!  i've missed him.  i'm also anxious for my appointment thursday!

doctor's orders

well, it's a good thing today was the last day of school because i am officially on bed rest.

it all started this morning with a little light spotting.  i didn't really think much of it because it was a very very little bit.  so i said goodbye to jake [who got on a plane to nebraska for a work trip...ya] and i went to work.

well, the spotting turned into something a little more so i called my doctor from work.

...and off to the hospital i went.  .....with jake en route to nebraska.  thankfully, my wonderful mother.in.law met me so i wasn't alone.

turns out...all those braxton hicks contractions weren't exactly that.  i was 1 cm dilated and 90% effaced.  and contracting regularly.  once i got to the hospital, i definitely learned what a contraction feels like.  ouch.

the good thing...it wasn't amniotic fluid.  most likely spotting from cervical changes.

they initially gave me a shot to see if that would stop the contractions but it wasn't working so well.  so, they tried procardia which seems to be doing the trick.  and after a lot of waiting....i was sent home.

what now?  i'm on bed rest for about two weeks [at which point i will be 36 weeks] and then we go from there.  i need to stick to the meds every 6 hours until then.  and i follow up with my doctor thursday.

i will be sure to keep you posted!  thanks for all the care and concern!

...

it's in the bag.

i wanted to share my diaper bag and a link to the etsy shop because i'm so happy with it.

a giant thanks to my sister for this generous gift.  it's so perfect!

by bagenvy handbags.

does the chevron surprise you?

9 inside pockets, a paci holder and a changing pad.

...

showered [x3]

let me just say...i can n o t thank my coworkers, friends and family enough for showering us with so much love in preparation for this little one.  i can't believe how set we are.  everyone really took care of us and they were so so generous.  jake has said that all of the gear sitting around has really made this real for him.  funny, because it was real for me abouououout...7 months ago.  but, he's a guy.  i love having everything in its place waiting for baby.  if you were a part of these showers...

we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. 

shower 1: work

all the sweets!  made by my coworkers!

diaper cake, by my friend, annita!

the spread [and the laminator].

my team.  thanks for the adorable shower!

shower 2:  jake's family/friends

theme:  bows or bowties? 

hostesses: pam, denise, tara, sarah

center-pieces and menus

each guest wore either a bow or bowtie...depending on what they think m&m is

cake pops!

the party favor...an adorable 'trail mix bar'!!

bags and ribbons for your trail mix...

everyone contributed a book to m&m's library.  we are so set on books!  love!

jake's sister, tara, and our nephew hudson.

the gear.  jake's family and my mother.in.law's friends were incredibly generous.

team girl.

team boy.

my mom, tara [s.i.l.], me, sarah [s.i.l.], denise [s.i.l.], pam [m.i.l.], beth [step mom]

the belly shot.  i was 30 weeks that day.

shower 3:  gal pals

theme:  little lamb

hostesses:  katie and katie [a.k.a. marge]

my baby pics.

marge made the yarn balls.

the spread.

the invite.

diaper cake by my step mom.

me and the fab hostesses.

all my gal pals.

 "dream big, little one" from my friend, emily.  so sweet.

and i will leave you with this picture of me and my father.in.law comparing bumps.

i think i was 29 weeks here.

stay tuned for a 33 week post.  yes.  that means i missed the 32 week post.  i am totally slacking.  it's the end of the school year madness!!!

...

ultrasound.

31 weeks.  3 days.
time is seriously flying.
we had an ultrasound today.
not because of any concern,
my doc just does one around 32 weeks.
baby was measuring about 3 lbs and some odd ounces
(we were too enthralled with seeing baby and forgot the ounces)
but...she said 26th percentile.
this is the normal range,
although m&m probably won't be a big baby.
head was down.
body on my right side, which explains the lopsidedness i get.
sonographer said she could see lots of hair.
(the hairy ones are so cute)
the gender is still a surprise!
but best of all, everything was healthy and heartbeat was strong!

looking straight at baby's face.  his/her arm was up by the head so we couldn't get a profile shot.  but you can see the eyes, little nose and sweet cheeks.

i'm not too sure what we're looking at but apparently it's hair.

i also had a shower this past weekend thrown by my a m a z i n g sisters.in.law and mother.in.law.  it was so fantastic and they really went above and beyond!  we got totally spoiled and most of the big stuff is out of the way.  so grateful!  gotta love jake, too.  he had it all put together that night :)  i will post pictures soon!!

my mom was also able to come in from ny for the shower!  we spent some much needed time together.  she helped me pick out a mattress and washed every last onesie, as well as things in the nursery.  her trip wasn't long enough, but she will be back soon enough!  we definitely missed my sister, loren, who couldn't make it because she's finishing up student teaching. 

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