Daydreaming

I'm really looking forward to having some time off this next week.  I'm about 4 1/2 hours away from being able to go home from work and sleep.  This was my hard stretch at work.  I was scheduled to work two nights on, two off, two on, two off, and two on.  I was luckily enough to be able to get one of the days in the middle off.  It was a MUCH needed break, although it caused a lot of problems for other people at work because a few emails got "misread".  But I really needed it.  I apparently cant handle this type of work as well as other pregnant people, but whatever.  My priority is the health of my little baby. 


Anyway...once I get back to a somewhat rested self, I'm looking forward to getting into the nursery and playing around a little more.  There really isn't much I can do, but I feel like nesting.  I might wash some sheets and clothes or something.  I'm really anxious to get the glider in.  We ordered it at the beginning of August and it should be coming anywhere from 45-60 days after.  I get so excited thinking about the future in that chair.  I remember my mom rocking me to sleep, singing, and those are some of my best memories!  To this day if I hear my mom sing certain songs I will immediately get tired and want to take a nap. :)  I can't wait to sing to my baby!


Alright, now only 4 hours and 15 minutes til I can go home!

30 Weeks!

I still can't believe I'm in the last stretch of this pregnancy!  10 weeks left! I had the best day yesterday!  We live about an hour and a half away from any good shopping/restaurants.  So last week Nick asked me if I wanted to go down to the city to eat at Red Robin and then go to Barnes and Noble to get some baby books.  Loving red Robin and the idea of looking for some baby books for the bookshelf in the nursery I of course said, "YES!".  So we drove down to the city yesterday.  Nick kept pushing me to "stay hydrated" by bringing along some iced tea in the car.  I told him I didn't want to have to go to the bathroom on the way to the city.  We finally got to Red Robin. I happily ordered my fried chicken salad and strawberry lemonaid.  Once we were done we got up to go to back to the car, and while I was walking back I realized I probably should have used the bathroom.  I guess once I stand up Tanner squishes my bladder.  Nick said I could find a bathroom at Barnes and Noble.  We were driving around and I saw the bookstore on the left side of the road,  but our car was on the right.  So being the back seat driver observant wife I am, I mentioned we should be in the other lane.  Nick said he wanted to make a pit stop at another place and pulled into a parking spot at this place called Stork Vision.  I immediately got excited!  (I casually mentioned over a month ago that it would be pretty neat to have a 3D/4D ultrasound to see Tanner's face, since my doctor will not do any more ultrasounds)


I was really nervous though.  It said "By appointment only" on the front door.  Nick kept saying we'll just go in and make an appointment for another time.  So we walked in, and the receptionist asked my name.  I was hesitant to tell her because I just wanted to make an appointment, I didn't want to look stupid and have to tell her we didn't have one. She then  asked me to sign in.  I kept looking at Nick, not wanting to sign in.  But he just picked up the pen and handed it to me.  I gave him the side eye, still feeling very awkward.  The receptionist then said, "Is this a surprise?".  I just stood there looking strange, I'm sure.  Nick finally spoke up and said, "She still thinks we don't have an appointment".  I felt so relieved, and so excited!  Apparently Nick made this appointment last week.  They called my doctor and got the paperwork done and everything was set up.  I was going to be able to see my baby's face!


We went back to the little ultrasound room and got started.  We found out Tanner is still a boy, and he is very stubborn.  He had his little hands and arms curled up around his face for the longest time!  The tech tried her hardest to bother him by poking my belly, trying to get him to move a little bit.  For 20 minutes he would only show a little bit of an eye and a peek at his nose.  So I got up to go to the bathroom to see if he would move a little bit.  (Now it makes since as to why Nick was wanting me to "stay hydrated, and have a sugary drink at lunch").  I returned to the room and Tanner brought his little leg up by his face to try to hide more.  Of course.      But the tech continued to try to get him to move, and for a split second, he did!  She was able to get some pictures of his precious little face.  We also got a video of the ultrasound!

This is what we saw for most of the ultrasound.  He had his arms covering his face.

Here he is teasing us by showing just a little bit of his face.

Finally! What a precious face! I am so in love with those cheeks!

I can't believe that's my baby! I love my husband so much for doing this!

And Nick being the great husband (and soon to be daddy) he is we still went to Barnes and Noble to get baby books. I think he enjoyed that part more than I did.  I really wanted one book, the little Bible.  Nick really liked the little boy books. (Yes, that's a cat tail in the picture, they missed us when we were gone).

We went to the mall to try to find some nice sunglasses, with no luck.  So we drove 20 minuted to go to Carters.  Which by one of my last posts about shopping online, was a very bad idea.  We found so much we liked!  We got some more onesies and a few little outfits.  We also got a fleece sleeper which will be great for the cold winter months.

They are SO nosey!

I know this is already a pretty long post, but since it's kind of my weekly update, I should update.


It started pretty much on the day I turned 30 weeks, last Wednesday.  I have gotten so uncomfortable.  It's hard to move around, tie my shoes, get out of bed or off the couch.  I feel like I'm carrying around two tree trunks, my legs, because my swelling just doesn't go away anymore.  I was told the other day my a fellow nurse, that I need to change doctors.  (I'm just going to try to take it slow still, my BP is still good). The end is in sight.  I'm pretty sure I know what my last day of work will be before baby comes. I just need to stick it out a little bit more.   BUT if it gets to be any harder than it is now, I'll be asking my doctor to stop work. It's gotten pretty tough the last few times I've worked, I'm just hoping that's the worse it will get.  We'll see.


By working nights, I have realized I am a morning person.  I miss waking up in the actual morning (instead of 1pm/4pm after working) and enjoying a cup of coffee and breakfast.  I miss having my whole day.  I feel like the days just fly by now because I sleep them away.  And speaking of sleep, it sucks.  It takes forever for me to fall asleep, and it's very, very normal for me to wake up at 1am and not be able to fall asleep again until 3:30 or later.  I know I would be having this problem if I didn't work nights, but I can't see working nights helping the problem either.  Last night was the first night I actually had great sleep in weeks. I fell asleep immediately and woke up once or twice.  But of course, I have to work tonight, so I'm back to the crappy sleep schedule.


As far as cravings go, I have just a couple.  One is pretty bad, the others, not bad at all. I crave milk.  Chocolate milk, or white milk.  Either will suffice.  And with this craving, I am wanting cereal all the time.  I use to have Lucky Charms daily, but I finally got tired of that.  My go to cereal now is blueberry shredded mini wheats. YUM!!! Also, hot fudge Sundays...............

And here is my 30.5 week belly pic.  Apparently my belly now pokes out farther than my boobs, which really says something...(Also, I'll add a picture of my 10 week belly for comparison). 

And with the weather getting cooler and September coming to an end (is it just me or did September FLY by?!?!?!) I'm going to get my Halloween decorations out!


It's been such a great few days, I hope work tonight and tomorrow night doesn't ruin it.


Now, if you've read all of this, I applaud you.  Sorry it was so long!

Fall cleaning

Three days ago it was 101 degrees here.  Yesterday it never made it to 60.  Today it's the same.  I'm really enjoying this weather.  I've got the doors open and the chill is filling the house a little.  At the same time, I realize it's probably time to go through my closet.  So I did just that this morning, and boy was it depressing.  I took out so many things!


 Most of my long sleeve shirts don't cover my belly now.  I have a few that I could probably wear a tank top underneath and maybe get away with wearing it in public.  And out of the many, many pairs of jeans, I only have one that still fits.  Which I am completely satisfied with!  It buttons pretty low, under my belly, and I'm hoping I can continue to wear it for a while to come.


I am pretty happy with the maternity clothes I have though.  I have a few pants, some jeans, two sweaters, and a bunch of shirts.  I think I will be ok for a little while.  I hope the weather doesn't get too cold before November 30th...I don't think my jackets would fit very well right now. Ha.

Doctor's visit and clothes!

I had my 29 week appointment at 2pm today.  I worked last night and only slept a few hours so my doctor doctor's nurse was able to check out my swelling. It's still really bad.  This morning when I was getting ready to leave work my ankles were completely gone.  It was horrible.  But my blood pressure is still perfect.

I got to the doctor's office and was immediately called back.  It was a little strange.  There was no one in the waiting room.  Usually I have to wait a while.  Anyway, I got called back, got weighed (I hated seeing the number on the scale, but it's only 3+ lbs in a month).  I peed in a cup and got my blood pressure taken.  I found out I once again have a UTI.  I have absolutely no symptoms.  (My my doctor said he has seen a few people lately have resistance to the antibiotic I took last month, so he prescribed me something different.)  The nurse took me to a room and told me my doctor was "catching a baby" next door at the hospital. So I waited about 25 minutes in the room.  I completely understand and in a way it was nice to know that in a couple months, I could be that person in labor and my doctor would be there instead of at the clinic.  

When my doctor came back he did the usual and checked Tanner's heart rate.  Staying true to the old wive's tale his  heart rate was 135.  I asked my doctor about pushing and pulling at work and cramping.  He said I need to be careful because during pregnancy your ab muscles stretch so much and there is a weak spot where you can push/pull too much and get a hernia.  I also asked him if there is a way to tell the difference between braxton hicks contractions and baby positioning.  He said there is no way to know unless you're hooked up to the monitors.   He said if I have 4 in an hour, I'm probably pushing it activity wise and I need to lay down for a while.  If I have 6 or more, I need to go to the hospital and get hooked up to monitors.  I'm thinking last week at work I had three during the night.  So I know I need to take it slow.  They did tell me that I need to tell them if/when I need to stop work. 

I know next week is going to be so tough on me.  Working two nights on, two off, two on, two off, and then two on again.  I'm not looking forward to it at all, and apparently we are "short staffed" those days in the middle when I wanted to take off one day.  I don't know what I'm going to do.  I know so many women who work right up to the day they go into labor, but I honestly don't think I can do it.  

Once I got done with my appointment and was getting ready to walk out of the room, my doctor got another call because another patient was pushing and ready to deliver her baby.  He said he had 4 babies born yesterday and working on 3 today.  It made me more and more excited, and nervous at the same time.

When I got home I got a knock at the door.  It was the mailman delivering a package that I've been anxiously waiting for.  Two weekends ago Carter's and Osh Kosh Bigosh were having a 50% off everything online and in stores.  So Nick and I went shopping (online of course,  we have to drive an hour and a half to go shopping here in Oklahoma).  So I took a few pictures to show off here on my blog.  I love everything we ordered!

The box! Yay!

Nick really liked this hooded towel.  I have to agree.

And I absolutely love this little jacket! It's size 3 months, so I hope it will work out for this winter.  It's so soft, and I wish we had more!  The other colors were sold out.

We had to get a little something country for our little guy.  I'm planning on taking him to atwoods and getting some little cowboy boots and Carhartt overalls next year.  This shirt is 12 months so I hope it ends up working next year.

I absolutely love this blue jean jacket! It's 12 months and I hope it fits him next year!

Well, I'm probably going to go get some dinner put together.  I will be 29 weeks tomorrow, which is so exciting! I can't believe I'm almost 3/4 done!

I guess I'm pretty bad at this...

I think I know what my problem is with this whole late updating thing.  There are several things throughout the week that I want to post in a blog but I always tell myself I'll wait and add it to the weekly update.  But when it's time to do the update I either end up forgetting what I was going to talk about or forgetting to blog at all.  So for now on I think I'll probably have a few little short posts throughout the week, hopefully, and then a weekly update.  I know it will be easier to update when Tanner is actually here because I will want to take tons of pictures to post so my family can watch him grow and not miss out on stuff.  Plus, I wont be working, so that helps out a ton.


So today I'm 28 1/2 weeks.  I don't know if my belly looks any bigger from other people's view but it sure feels different.  It's a lot harder, and Tanner is a lot bigger.  I feel kicks, punches, and flipping in different spots at the same time.  I think he likes to dance.  I will play a song on my phone and put it to my belly and he moves each time.  I've also felt hiccups a few more times.


Some symptoms...hmmm.  I get heartburn at work often.  I think it's because I work nights and that's when I usually feel it.  I get it at home too, but I can usually ignore it and go back to sleep.  Thank goodness for Pepcid, even though it makes me gag when I chew the chalky pill.  Yuck.  But it's pretty much instant relief.


I also think I'm getting quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions at work.  It doesnt' hurt but it feels strange.  My whole belly gets hard.  I'm going to ask the doctor on Tuesday how I can differentiate between BH contractions and baby's positioning.  But I'm pretty sure it's BH contractions I'm feeling.  And in between those and my still swelling feet/legs, I get cramps in my abdomen when I do a lot of pushing/pulling at work.  It's pretty hard to avoid when staffing isn't that great.  I'm going to talk to the doctor about that too.


But yes, I'm still swelling.  Cutting back at work has helped, but it seems like I'm swelling more at home now, when I'm not doing anything.  I'm hoping that is normal swelling now.  I don't know.


My appetite is changing too, I think.  I'm not really getting that 'hungry' feeling anymore.  I'm not eating as much during the day.  I'll eat because I know I need to.  I don't know if that's coming from my stomach getting squished or if I'd just rather sleep.  I don't feel like I'm ever not tired any more.  I hate night shift.  The only plus, is I really enjoy the people I work with.


Now, back to movement...Just now as I was typing this I felt my stomach get kind of tight.  I felt it and it was obviously baby.  Nick put his hand on him and was able to move him.  It's pretty cool to interact with this little thing growing inside of me.  I'm so looking forward to interacting with him on the outside. But...


I've been having mixed emotions lately.  We have less than 3 months left until Tanner's due date.  I'm so excited to have this new chapter of my life starting!  But at the same time Nick and I have less than 3 months of it just being the two of us.  And I feel like I'm missing out of it.  When Nick's home I'm working or catching up on sleep and when Nick's at work I'm home.


On a positive note, the weather here the past week has been incredible!  We had 55-60 days of 100+ degree weather this summer.  It was so incredibly miserable.  But the past week the hottest it got was in the mid 80's I think.  The 70s feel so great!  Each window in the house is open and I'm back to going for my nightly walks.  The cats love when the back door is open.  They chirp at the birds on the bird bath.  And best of all, the nice weather puts me in a good mood, even if I'm tired.  I walked to the commissary yesterday for some bagel bites.  It always puts me in a good mood (the walk and the bagel bites-haha).  I think we have a few days this next week that will be in the 90s.  It's not open window weather, but it's better than the 110 we're use to.  And besides, it's going back into the 80s after that.  I love it!


Well, that's all the rambling I can think about right now.  I'll post on Tuesday for sure after my doctor's visit. And I'll try harder to just post some short posts when I think of something I was to say instead of waiting.


Now, for a belly picture.  (Not my favorite part of this updating thing)