BPP #3 (Week 36)

How far along? 36 weeks

What's baby up to? Ella Paityn is weighing in over 5 pounds at this point....maybe even over 6.  We may get updated measurements at our next appointment on Wednesday!  At this point, most of her development is complete and she is just putting on the pounds.  Please be kind, little girl :-)

BPP Appointment: Ella Paityn did a great job this week and scored all 8 points within the first 5-10 minutes of our ultrasound.  You should have seen her "breathing" away....that little diaphragm pumping up and down is such a sweet sight.  Our new sonographer, Emily, also broke out the 3D ultrasound again!  Unfortunately, this isn't the most opportune time to be doing one of those because she is so cramped in there.  We weren't able to get any really good pictures or views because EP had her hands all up in her face, as usual!
 
Total weight gain: 20 pounds :-(

Maternity clothes? Yes

Symptoms: Finger/toe/knee pain (midwife called it pregnancy arthritis), congestion, and just general discomfort moving around or finding a good sitting position

Sleep: Not too bad :-)

Food cravings: None!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Still head down and moving around often

Miss anything? Being able to get up and down comfortably without groaning, being able to legitimately hug Jacob (it just seems weird and middle-schoolish now) because there is a large bump getting in the way

Best moment of the week: A surprise baby shower at school!  My sweet friends outdid themselves with delicious food and sweet gifts. A good doctor's appointment with maternity pictures (will blog soon).

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery finished and checking off a ton of stuff on to-do lists.  We are also going on a shopping spree on Friday to get everything that we still need!  Can't wait :-)

Baby Bump: Week 35

How far along? 35 weeks.... Is it really possible that as of today we only have 34 days left?

What's baby up to? Ella Paityn is weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces (+/- 13 oz.).  That is crazy.  I cannot believe she is THAT BIG!  At this point, most of her development is complete and she is just putting on the pounds.  Please be kind, little girl :-)

Total weight gain: We shall see on Thursday.

Maternity clothes? Yes

Symptoms: Stuffy nose/congestion/nose bleeds, sore finger/toe joints

Sleep: Not too bad :-)

Food cravings: None!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Well.....I said last week that I was going to start tracking movement on whether she had turned or not.  I guess my pep-talks worked because we've got a head down baby!! 

Miss anything? Not really!

Best moment of the week: Being on break, relaxing, getting to do exactly what I want to do!  Getting our taxes DONE!!  They are officially turned in to our CPA :-)

Looking forward to:  Maternity pictures with our sweet friend and former neighbor, Bridgett, of Bridgett Baysden Photography.  We're heading out to downtown New Bern (maybe a little waterfront, myabe a little palace action), the Brock Mill Pond right here in JoCo, and one of our friend's wheat fields that is right down the road from our house.  Our doctor's appointment on Thursday-- We have high hopes that Ella Paityn will do exactly what she is supposed to do and get all 8 points.  Both my mom and Jacob are coming for this appointment. And, the Coastal Plains livestock show on Monday.  I love going to see the little ones show animals and it is even better because my sweet little Claire will be showing a goat for the first time ever!

* I had my Group B strep test this week.  Not fun at all....slightly violating! 
** Mandy also checked for progression this week for the first time. No dilation, no effacement. 

Baby Bump: Week 34

How far along? 34 weeks

What's baby up to? While they can't give us a legnth measurement anymore, Ella Paityn is weighing in at 5 pounds, 6 ounces (+/- 13 oz.).  That is crazy.  I cannot believe she is THAT BIG!  

Total weight gain: Not a single pound since my last appointment!!!!  So I'm hanging tight at 17 pounds overall.

Maternity clothes? Yes

Symptoms: Stuffy nose/congestion, sore finger/toe joints

Sleep: Not too bad :-)

Food cravings: None!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Well.....I said last week that I was going to start tracking movement on whether she had turned or not.  I guess my pep-talks worked because we've got a head down baby!! 

Miss anything? Not really!

Best moment of the week: Hands down my baby shower in Greenville!  I was SO EXCITED to see everyone and even had some surprise guests that I didn't know would be there!!!  The food, decorations...just EVERYTHING....was amazing!  I am so thankful to Laura (my sis-in-law) for opening her home and also Mrs. Lydia (MIL) for helping host the shower.  We got tons of super fun gifts that were much needed.

Looking forward to:   SPRING BREAK!!  This Friday is a half day and I won't go back to school until Tuesday, April 7.  Getting some much needed work around the house done.....finishing the bedding/nursery, pressure washing, relaxing, etc.

Not looking forward to: Taxes.....no but really.  They are **almost** done and ready to take to our CPA.  They will be in her hands by Friday for sure.

Baby Bump: Week 33

How far along? 33 weeks

What's baby up to? Ella Paityn has passed the 17 inch mark and weighs over 4 pounds.  She is about the size of a pineapple.  Her skeleton is hardening and she is losing her wrinkled look.  We'll find out exactly what her measurements (length and weight) are at our next appointment. 

Total weight gain: 17 pounds at my appointment.  Yikes. 

Maternity clothes? For sure.  The only non-maternity clothes that I can still wear are t-shirts.....and that isn't so cute anymore!

Symptoms: Stuffy nose/congestion....I am hoping this goes away SOONER than later after pregnancy is over.  

Sleep: Not too bad :-)

Food cravings: None!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Lots of crazy kicks and rolls.  Now I'm going to start tracking movement based on if she has turned or not.  She was "breech" at our last appointment meaning not head down.  More specifically she was transverse lie position.  It is absolutely impossible to vaginally deliver a baby this way....so we really need Ella Paityn to get her act together and turn around :-)    


Miss anything? Not really!

Best moment of the week: My baby shower in New Bern hosted by Rebecca Scott, Kim Barrett, and Erin Morgan.  It was SO much fun.  I got to see tons of my friends (21 to be exact), eat yummy food, and we got some wonderful gifts!!!  Pictures and blog post to come soon :-)  I am also really enjoying the Zumba class that I have been going to :-)  It may not be as cute as it used to be....but hey, at least I'm out there!  My 

Looking forward to: My baby shower in Greenville that my sweet sister-in-law, Laura, and MIL, Mrs. Lydia, are hosting!  I can't wait for more fun and festivities. We have our first BPP (Biophysical Profile) appointment this Wednesday at 8:15, so be praying!  I am excited to see how much little Ella Paityn has grown, but...I am also a little nervous about how all of this works and what her score will be.  

Not looking forward to: Taxes.....we've been putting them off.  Bad.  Have we still not gotten our tax stuff to our CPA?  DANG!  Procrastination at its finest.  

Baby Bump: Week 31

How far along? 31 weeks

What's baby up to? Baby Morgan weighs as much as a coconut. She is about 17 inches long and weighs about 3 1/3 pounds.  Did you know coconuts weigh that much?!  I sure didn't.  She can turn her head from side to side and her body is plumping up!  

Total weight gain: Exactly 14 pounds at my appointment.  Yikes. I have six pounds left to play around with if I want to stay at my 20 pound goal. We'll see if that actually happens.... Jacob said that at least half my weight has been put on in my chest- haha!  That doesn't make me feel any better though...

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Shirts, not necessarily depending on the style.

Symptoms: Stuffy nose/congestion, more difficulty breathing than normal-- they say this is normal too because baby is taking up her share of my typical lung space....but it makes it even worse because my nose is always stuffed. 

Sleep: Ehh, it's okay.... A typical night is me getting up to pee about 4-5 times.  That doesn't make for good sleep.

Food cravings: None!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Every day....at this point it is not okay for her not to be moving every day.

Miss anything? Being able to move without grunting, groaning, and other funny noises.  Sitting down without my boobs resting on my belly, and my belly resting on my legs.  

Best moment of the week: Finishing the crib bumpers and order a super cool baby swing{ish} thing!  We are SUPER limited on space because of living in a single wide trailer :-)  Therefore, we were not going to register at all for a swing, and just do without.  We literally did not have room for the base, and forget about the actual clearance needed for it to swing.  But, then I found a Mamaroo on clearance for $150....regularly $260!!  I even managed to persuade my way into free shipping!!  You can see just how compact it is.  This will serve as our "swing" and bouncer. 


Looking forward to: Going to get our furniture this weekend, getting our Mamaroo in the mail!

Not looking forward to: Taxes.....we've been putting them off.  Bad. 

Oh yeah....how could I forget?!  We officially have a name!!  More to come ;)

Baby Bump: Week 30

How far along? 30 weeks

What's baby up to? Baby Morgan is the size of  a head of cabbage. She is about 17 inches long and weighs just over 3 pounds.  Her brain is busy developing this week.

Total weight gain: 12 pounds according to my scale

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Shirts, not necessarily depending on the style.

Symptoms: Some back pain, sharp pain underneath my ribs....I called the doctor (per Jacob's orders) and they said that my uterus is growing up and out and that is to be expected at this gestation, haha!  Stuffy nose- I have had a cold so I'm not sure if this is still cold related or back to my normal pregnancy congestion with nose bleeds.

Sleep: Pretty good as long as I've got my husband, cat, and body pillow!  Our queen size bed seems to have gotten smaller...

Food cravings: None, although I would be completely fine with some Chinese food tonight.

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  Every day

Miss anything? Being able to move without grunting, groaning, and other funny noises.  Sitting down without my boobs resting on my belly, and my belly resting on my legs.  

Best moment of the week: Working on the crib bedding!  So far I've got 2 bumper pads completely finished.....only 4 more to go!  

Worst moment of the week: Not to be a negative Nancy, but I added this in for this week!  On 2/17 we had a minor ice storm which left about 1/4" of ice on everything....including power lines and tree branches.  I am finally coming to terms, after 29 years of living in the South, that very rarely do we get snow.  Instead, we always get ice.  Anyways, that 1/4" froze on trees, which in turn fell on power lines.  Multiple power lines, which resulted in a 24+ hour power outage for us in the FREEZING cold.  And then on top of that, Jacob got sick with some kind of stomach related yuckiness.  Fortunately we went to my in-laws and spent the night which meant a DELICIOUS steak dinner, hot showers, heat, and family.  

Looking forward to: Getting our furniture in (we're bringing it home in two weeks!) so we can start putting the nursery together. My baby showers that are coming up in March!!!!  

Not looking forward to: Maternity leave sub plans :-(

Baby Bump: Week 28

How far along? 28 weeks {{Hello Third Trimester!}}

What's baby up to? Baby Morgan is the size of  an eggplant.  She weighs about EXACTLY (well, according to her measurements) 2 pounds and 13 ounces and is about 14 1/2 inches long.  Baby's eyesight is getting increasingly more developed.  She is focused on developing neurons in her brain and adding on body fat.

Total weight gain: Exactly 10 pounds at my last appointment.  An even bigger reason to celebrate-- my last appointment was first thing in the morning (and I've been weighing myself at home as soon as I get out of bed) and this appointment was late afternoon (around 4:30). 

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Shirts, not necessarily depending on the style.

Symptoms: Some back pain

Sleep: Pretty good as long as I've got my husband, cat, and body pillow!  Our queen size bed seems to have gotten smaller...

Food cravings: Not really!

Food aversions: Nope :-)

Movement?  For sure.  It's a feeling that has definitely grown on me because I didn't like the way it felt at first.  I can definitely feel her kicking and jabbing, but one of my favorite feelings is when she shifts positions.

Miss anything? My morning coffee with yummy creamers. And no, decaf is not the same.

Best moment of the week: My doctor appointment yesterday.  It went great!  Baby girl was slightly uncooperative (but that's okay) for our ultrasound, but we definitely got to see her.  Everything still looked good so we're praying for continued good news. She is measuring at the 57th percentile for weight, at 2 pounds, 13 ounces. Her heartbeat was 155 bpm. Have I said before that we LOVE our ultrasound technician?  Currie is amazing!  We hadn't seen her since our appointment in Greenville so she was asking us about that (even though she had already seen my chart).  We told Currie about how we had bragged on her and how the head honcho ultrasound lady (who did my ultrasound) had told us all kinds of great things about her. At the end of the ultrasound, Currie got out the 3D probe and flipped over so we could get a little sneak peak.  Of course, the little one didn't want to be seen so we didn't get very clear pictures.  She was too busy attempting to hide her face be it with her feet, hands, or umbilical cord. Right now she is positioned underneath my left ribs with her hands, head, and feet all in the same general location.  She is looking towards my left side.  At this point she is breach, but Mandy was not at all concerned about that seeing as we have 12 (wait, what??  t.w.e.l.v.e.) weeks  left. 

Looking forward to: Selling our spare bedroom suit on Sunday.  We found a buyer and she seems extremely excited.  Bless her heart- she told me that she loves us via email- haha!  Buy Buy Baby called today and all of our nursery furniture is in, so we can get it any time now. Oh yeah,  between my mom and I, we are making all of the nursery bedding!  Mom has already made a crib sheet and she is going to do a matching changing pad cover as well.  I have delved into the crib bumper and hope to have it finished by the weekend!  

Not looking forward to: Maternity leave sub plans :-(

Her nose looks a little wonky because Currie had to crop out the umbilical cord
which was laying across the bridge of her nose.

Baby Bump: Week 27

How far along? 27 weeks-- let me just say that I'm not exactly sure where time has gone

What's baby up to? Baby Morgan weighs about 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long.  She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and maybe even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, her brain is very active now.

Total weight gain: 10 pounds according to my scale....hoping to hold it at 10 lbs. by my appointment on Monday.

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Shirts, not necessarily. 

Symptoms: Some back pain

Sleep: Not too shabby if I don't drink caffeine! 

Food cravings: Not really!

Food aversions: Spoiled milk??  So it is totally my fault....but I had my very first puking episode while pregnant this week.  I smelled the milk in the fridge and thought, "Hmm.  This could go either way."  So, what did I do?  Tipped it up and taste tested it.  I regularly am not a fan of milk, so why I thought this was a good idea I'll never know.  Next thing you know, I was running to the bathroom (fortunately that isn't too far away in a single wide trailer!).  After throwing up 3 times, I was still a little queasy.  Let me just say again and again how thankful I am that I haven't battled morning sickness (like the actual puking kind) my entire pregnancy.

Movement?  Yes!  She is moving all around, flipping, kicking, or something like that!  It is crazy to feel and even crazier to watch.

Miss anything? Laying on my back

Best moment of the week: Getting our house rearranged.  My parents are coming to help get our storage shed switched over (we have outgrown our current one) this weekend.  We're in the process of trying to sell our spare bedroom furniture because we have no room!!  But it felt really good to start the process this week.

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound on Monday.  This is the first ultrasound that I have actually been excited about (sad to say).  Our first ultrasound (around 8 weeks) was terrifying.  I was scared and in complete denial.  Our second ultrasound (around 16 weeks) was checking to see if there were markers for Down Syndrome.  Again, I was terrified and almost paralyzed with fear.  Our third ultrasound (around 18 weeks) was a Level 2 ultrasound again checking for markers for genetic disorders.  I was not as scared at this one, but I definitely can't say I was excited either.  So I am happy to say that our fourth ultrasound (at 28 weeks) is coming up and I am very excited.  This ultrasound is still to check for progress of genetic markers, but I am feeling very at peace.  We will definitely have at least 1 more ultrasound, possibly 2 according to my midwife.

Not looking forward to: My Rhogam shot on Monday.

Baby Bump: Week 25

How far along? 25 weeks

What's baby up to? Baby Morgan weighs about a pound and a half and is approximately 13.5 inches long. She is about the size of a rutabaga.  In addition to adding on some baby fat, she is also growing some hair.  And since she is coming from me and Jacob, I would say her hair is going to be quite the sight!

Total weight gain: 7 pounds total at my appointment on 1/21!

Maternity clothes? Pants, yes.  Shirts, not necessarily. 

Symptoms: RLS, some back pain, and discomfort if I stay in one position for too long then try to rearrange (especially in the morning after waking up).

Sleep: Can't complain!

Food cravings: Not really!

Food aversions: None

Movement?  Oh....is there movement?!  Here are a few videos of what it looks like from my perspective:

Miss anything? Being able to comfortably move around at night and sleep through the night.  Rolling over has become quite the chore and I have to get up to go to the bathroom at least 2 times.  More average is 3.

Best moment of the week: Hilton Head with my main squeeze <3

Looking forward to: Another long weekend (thank the Lord for optional teacher workdays), and eating at Mike's Farm on Thursday