Wish wash

When I took Brandon's clothes out of the dryer it finally hit me that the end is near... Kinda took my breath away looking at the tiny little clothes.  I almost lost it (whatta sap!).

When I started to fold his clothes I realized that I had no idea how to properly fold them! They don't hold a fold like how you would regularly fold grown-up size clothes cause they're so little. Well, I tried my best. I'm sure that with more practice I'll get the hang of it.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Josh and I had such a great day today!  Although we didn't get to see all of our family and friends, we are so very thankful that they are a part of our lives!

We have so much to be thankful for this year!  Well, the number one thing that we're thankful for is our health.  We are thankful for being able to wake up every morning with healthy bodies and mind.  Another thing is our family and friends.  We are so lucky to be surrounded with amazing and supportive people.  They are our foundation and wouldn't know what we would do without them.

Nieces, Nephews, and Brother (A few more are missing)

I love this family for welcoming me with open arms!

Best cousins and sister in-law ever!!

So very thankful for these girls!

Love my sisters (Missing in this picture is Jackie)

My parents!

  We are also very thankful for having each other; that our love for one another has only continued to grow over the years.

 Last of all, Josh and I are very thankful for the little guy in my belly.  Thank you, lord for giving us this blessing.  It has been an amazing experience so far and we can't wait until he's finally here!

Josh and I hope that you all had a wonderful and memorable thanksgiving!  XO!

34 weeks

It's getting a little tough to start reaching certain parts of my body these days...good lord!  As you have probably read from my last blog (33 weeks) I feel like I'm going through another huge physical transformation with Brandon growing so rapidly now.  It's not only been very challenging physically, but mentally as well.  

As a bartender I'm around people all the time.  I probably interact with hundreds of people a day, and let me tell you, there are some very bold people out there.  Now that I'm very much showing people are a lot more brave to asking questions about my pregnancy.

Top questions are:

"Oh, wow, how far along are you?"

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

"Is this your first?"

"How are you feeling?"

"How are you still working?!"

"It looks like you're about to pop!" Ok, I know this last one isn't a question, but I put it up cause this is my least favorite thing people say to me :( 

It becomes very repetitive and redundant, but what am I to do? Just be mean and short with them?  At times I do feel like saying "Oh, wait, what are you talking about?  I'm not pregnant I'm just fat" and just walk away...lol!  But I know that that's not right, I know that when people ask they mean it with the best intentions and they ask because they truly care! So, I always try to answer them politely and usually end up having a good talk with them... there is just something about being pregnant that pulls people towards you...it is truly a blessing and I just love that it can always put a smile on peoples faces!   being a bartender I've learned that you HAVE to learn how to start a conversation...it's a part of your job description....and let me tell you this bump is seriously the best conversation piece... EVER! I'm seriously gonna miss it when it's gone. 

I've realized that my fuse is a lot shorter these days...people may not believe this because I'm always very happy (which I am) but there are times where I have to take a deep breath and bite my tongue.  I take a step back and just remind myself that it's much easier to just smile about it then be angry.  I also think that if I'm angry all the time then Brandon will pick up this trait and he will be an angry baby too! LOL!  I remember promising myself that when I got pregnant that I would truly cherish every moment of it whether it be good or bad.  I think that I've done a pretty good job at doing so, but I do get tested sometimes.

My appetite seems like it's doubled this week.  I can't stop eating!  All I think about is food and I find myself getting tired of eating sometimes!  Geez, talk about over indulging!  Root beer with a lot of ice has been my weakness lately.  I love the sweetness and bubbles, although I don't love the heartburn that shortly follows it!

Josh and I had our first birthing class this week.  It was great.  We both learned a lot and was given a new book to read.  We were taught certain techniques to use during labor and how your partner can help.  We were also given a birth plan to fill out after we complete the class.  During our 15 minute break Josh and I got to walk around the birthing area and even got a look at a birthing suite.  It had big windows that over looked the water and was very spacious.  All the nurses were very nice and out going.  We both just got a really good vibe and it was nice to get a chance to see where we were going to be in a few short weeks :)

Brandon so far:

Size:  17.75 inches about the size of an average cantaloupe

Weight:  4.75lb

According to thebump he is curious and listening to your conversations and might enjoy a lullaby or two, so go ahead and sing to him.  Some say that baby will recognize the song mom sings while he's still in the womb, and may even be more easily soothed by them if he's used to them once he's on the "outside."

34 week and 6 days

Brandon's Nursery

Here's just a little sneak peak of Brandon's nursery.  We still have a few things to add, but it's so nice to see things finally come together.  It's so fun to just hang out with Josh in his room and imagine Brandon being in there.  With all the baby stuff that's in there now, it starting to smells like a baby.  It makes my heart smile :)  I would also like to thank all of our family and friends who have spoiled him with all of his gifts!

We loved the idea of an animal theme

His dresser

It's crazy to think that he could possibly be here any week now!  Mommy and Daddy are ready for you Brandon!

33 weeks

Looking at the scale has been a bit discouraging lately.  It's hard to step on that thing and not die a little inside.  My 33rd week has definitely brought me back to how I was feeling during my first trimester, I feel like my body is going through another drastic change...and It's so discouraging because I thought I already passed that phase.

I read that from now until the end of my pregnancy Brandon will gain about another 4-5 pounds and grow another 3-4 inches!  My body is in full on overdrive to try to grow this baby over the next month. I can't believe it... doesn't that just sound so exhausting?  The human body is one amazing machine I tell ya!

My belly is staring to get in the way more, it gets too uncomfortable sitting down for too long because I feel like I can only take short breathes at a time.  With him getting bigger there's not a lot of space for the important stuff like...my lungs, bladder, and intestines...so it kinda makes breathing a little harder, peeing more frequent, and back ups in my pipes (if you know what I mean).  My insides have fully surrendered to Brandon and it totally sucks sometimes!

From how he's been moving I believe that Brandon is still breech.  He still loves to rest his head on the right side of my belly button and stomp on my bladder like they're grapes!  I feel him move sideways sometimes, but he just hasn't figured it all out just yet.  It's funny cause I told my mother in-law that he was breech and she just said "Oh, Josh was like that too!  They tried turing him, but he was too stubborn, and I ended up having c-section!"  OH, GREAT!!!!   Please, Brandon DO NOT take after your Dad!!!  

I'm starting to get my sciatic back pains again...I mainly feel it when I wake up from laying on my back for too long.  Ps not to worry...I'm not lying flat on my back, I'm propped up with a few pillows, but I think that since he's a lot bigger now, he tends to sit on it which causes the pain.  You'd think that I'd learn to not sleep on my back for too long, but with my heartburn that's the only comfortable way I can sleep... I can't win either way! lol! 

I can't stop itching!!  Now that my skin is starting to stretch even more, itchiness is one of the side effects!  I'm trying so hard not to itch it cause my mom scared the crap out of me by saying "If you scratch it you will get stretch marks!"  So, I just rub or pat on it! Ahhh!!      

My sleep pattern has been so off lately.  I usually read a few pages before I turn in for the night, but lately it's more like chapters...add that with my 3-4 potty breaks a night, I feel like I get zero sleep!  But the crazy thing is that when I wake up in the morning I'm not all that tired!  I'm thinking that it's my body trying to get me ready for what's to come, but when we went to our first birthing class on Saturday. Our teacher had mentioned that our body during this gestation tend to change it's sleeping pattern to match the babies!  Which makes sense to why when I wake up in the middle of the night it's usually followed by a few jabs, kicks, and a few body rolls from him. NUTS!

Brandon so far:

Size:  17 inches about the size of a pineapple

Weight:  4.25 pounds!

According to thebump he's keeping his eyes open while awake.  He's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.

33 weeks and 6 days

Ob/Gyn to a Midwife...

Well, since before I got pregnant I've always been interested in having a midwife.  I'm sure that I've mentioned this before in my previous blogs, but my birth plan is to have Brandon all natural.  Now that I'm approaching the end of my pregnancy I've been thinking (and dreaming) about the big D day and to be honest it's starting to get a bit scary.  Lately, there's been so much that has been going through my head, so much that I begin to doubt weather or not I'll be strong enough to do it.  One day I finally broke down to Josh...  We had a good talk and he was so great at reassuring me that I will do great and that I should really start giving myself more credit.

Ok, so I'm sure the big question is why the sudden change of heart, especially being 33 weeks into my pregnancy?!

So, let me just get one thing out of the way, I'm not changing because I didn't get along with my Dr, I actually am feeling a bit terrible about having to tell her that I will no longer be seeing her.  My Dr was absolutely wonderful, sweet, and informative...BUT the big thing that made me double guess was the fact that there was no guarantee that she would be even there during my delivery.  She is the only Dr that I've been seeing and to think that she might not even be there when I need her most makes me very worried, and I really don't need to worry any more than I already do.  The thing about OB's are that they have A LOT of patients that they over look and they are not always on-call when it comes to delivering babies.  They actually rotate between the other Dr's in the clinic...and during delivery the people that will be helping you out the MOST are the nurses.  Who I'm sure are absolutely amazing, but I need to see faces who I'm familiar with (well besides Josh's), and I feel like the more familiar faces I have around me then the more comfortable I will be.

With the combination of the researching that I've done and talking to other mothers, I've decided that hiring a midwife is the best thing for me.  There is a midwife care available at Providence which makes the transition very easy for us.  They already have complete access to all my medical history and check-up records... and I will still be delivering in the family maternity center because they have full privileges there. I talked to my midwife over the phone for the first time last week and after our 30 minute conversation, I already began to feel more at ease about the big day.  We have our first initial meeting with her next week where she'll be doing all of my usual testing and measurements.  She will also be going through my medical history and as well as my birth plan.

For me I see midwives as coaches and that's what I need and expect when I'm in labor.  Unlike Dr's, midwives are able to spend more time with their mothers-to-be.  They are there to provide you with different techniques and tools to help you through your labor and delivery.  They don't quickly pressure you into taking medication, but the option will be there if you feel like you truly need it.  The last and most important thing is they allow you to move freely during labor if your body needs it...Also, if at some point during my delivery things become complicated and Brandon will need to come out c-section there is an OB that is on call 24/7!

I can go on and on about this topic, but I will be up all night.  I will keep you all posted on our first meeting with our midwife.

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32 Weeks

Gosh do I feel big!!  So I had my last appointment on Monday and everything went well.  Blood pressure was good, Brandon's heart rate was strong and steady.  I mentioned to the my Dr that he was breech and she said that it's nothing to worry about right now, especially since he's still so little and has plenty of room to move around.  She said that she will check again at my 36th week appointment to see if he has turned...and if he hasn't then they will do an external cephalic version aka try to turn him manually.  If you have never seen this done, I suggest you check out this video!

NUTS right?!?  It doesn't look like it hurts too bad, but I would like to pass on that if possible.  Right now it seems like Brandon has been moving like crazy!  His favorite spot right now is head right up against the left side of my belly button and he loves to kick my pelvis...sometimes he kicks so hard that a little pee-pee comes out (totally gross, but it is what it is).

My total weight gain so far is 20lbs and I guess that he is gonna start gaining about a 1/2 a pound per week.  Oh lord, I seriously don't know how I'm going to manage lugging around another 5-10 pounds. I can almost say that I'm almost ready for the end to come!

It's beginning to get harder to bend over, put my socks on, sit for too long, and put my undies on (which I found were inside out the other day).  Parts of my body are beginning to jiggle more than I would like and I think that I might have spotted a set of stretch marks!!!  Oh, Brandon, if it really is stretch marks I swear to GOD, you will not only be grounded, but you know your favorite pirouette french vanilla wafers that you love so much? You can kiss those babies GOODBYE!!

Work is slowly starting to wear on me these days, sometimes after being on my feet for 11 hours non-stop makes me want to just go home and cry!  I also have my photography that has been staying steady! Now is the busy season especially with the holidays just around the corner. Everyone wants to start doing their holiday photos.  I feel so blessed to still have the energy to work, but sometimes I wonder if I'm over working myself too much... I know that I should probably take it easy, but my mentality right now is if I work my ass off until the end of my pregnancy, then the longer time I have to spend with Brandon when I go on my maternity leave.  2 months is my goal, but 3 would be even sweeter :)

Brandon so far:

Weight: Almost 5lb

Length: 16.7 inches about the size of a large jicama

According to the babycenter he now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair.

  

32 weeks and 6 days

Snack MONSTER!

My appetite is out of control right now. I can eat pizza for days and it's usually followed by a snack of some sort. I dunno what's gotten into me? I thought that I've already passed the "craving" part of my pregnancy, but oh well. I guess I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride :)

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31 weeks

All I keep thinking now is "any week now". I know that I've been saying this a lot lately, but I'm starting to get anxious the closer I approach 35 weeks. I just have this feeling that he will be here sooner than expected. Or I'm hoping so at least.

It's hard not to get excited especially seeing his nursery almost done. We've been working so hard to get it ready for him over the last few weeks. We just hope that he loves being in there as much as we do. It's funny cause when Josh and I are at home we usually do a lot of our catching up on the couch, but lately we've been hanging out in his room and doing our catching up there. Just the feeling of being in there is such a surreal feeling. The closest feeling that I can compare it to is when I walked down the aisle to become josh's wife...it just felt like that's where I was meant to be...I was meant to be his wife...like I am now meant to be a Mom.

I get asked a lot lately if I'm ready to have Brandon yet. Yes and No. I am only because I want to meet him and hold him, but I'm really not in a hurry cause I'm still enjoying my pregnancy so far. I may not always feel that way when he's giving me heartburn, leg cramps, and the unnecessary round house kick to the bladder. Over all when he's ready to make his appearance we'll be ready with open arms and unconditional love.

I think Josh is in 110% nesting mode...me I'm at about 60%. For our closest family and friends this may not come as a surprise to you. He told me that he finished his "dad's pregnant too" book yesterday...for those Mom's to-be out there Josh swears by this book! It's written by a male author and pretty much explains his experience of what it's like being a husband to his wife with their 1st child on the way. It's funny, witty, and very informative all rolled into one. Josh will never fully admit to it, but I feel like ever since he has started reading this book he has become more patient and more aware of my needs. He knows what and what NOT to say when I'm filled with hormones. He's become more patient with my forgetfulness and reminds me to laugh.

We are on the same team after all and even better now that we're on the same page :)

Mommy and Daddy are ready for you, Mister!

31 weeks and 6 days

Brandon, you're grounded!

I just got back from a 3D ultrasound this morning.  I never thought that I would ever want one cause they used to freak me out.  I once saw a 3D ultrasound where the baby opened his eyes!  AAHHH! It was nuts and scary all at the same time, but I guess if you were the baby's parents it would be different.  I found out about this place from a friend of mine Sokuntha, who is also expecting her first baby shortly after me.  She was sweet enough to tell me that she heard that there was this new Seimens building who happens to be doing free u/s.  She went there a few times to get some pictures done of their little one and she said they were all so nice and patient!  I guess they have a bunch of new techs and they need people to practice on, so I thought why not?  There's really nothing to lose, plus who wouldn't want to take a sneak peak of their little one's cute face?

When I got there everyone was super friendly and nice.  I think that they could tell how excited I was cause they where so quick to get me back.  The lady did my scan was so sweet and patient. As soon as she started the very first thing that she noticed was that Brandon was breech.  She told me that I should inform my Dr. when I get a chance because around this time he should be head down.  (Brandon, that's strike 1 MR.!)

She then moved on and started to do his usual measurements and here is what she had:

Brandon at 32 weeks and 1 day

Weight: 4lbs, 4oz

43rd percentage (should be at 50)

She said that he was just a hair small, but it's ok.  His head is measuring a little big but nothing to worry about...great my poor vagina! (That's strike 2)

So when she finally started to do the 3D part, Brandon thought that it would be funny to conveniently press his face right on my placenta...what the heck?!  SO, she started jiggling my belly for him to move.  When she finally got him to move he then decided to put his foot right in front of his face!  COOL!  She proceeded to try to shake him and have me move in different positions, but he then thought that maybe putting his hand in front of his face would be funny too!  I then said "What a little pill he is already!"  The tech just laughed and said "I think he's gonna make you wait..."  I even went to the bathroom, drank water, and had a twix bar!  That's strike 3 Brandon!!  He is so grounded!!

SO, after about an hour we decided that he wasn't going to bless us by showing his cute face.  Oh well, good thing it was for free right?  Here are some of the pictures she captured!

Brandon with his hand in front of his face!

His chubby cheeks and cute little button nose

aaannndd a great 3D shot of  his foot in front of his face!!  GEEZ, this kid!

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