Pregnancy Update: 32 Weeks

Heidi weighs 3 3/4 pounds (the size of a jicama) and about 16.7 inches long.I will be gain about a pound a week. Roughly half of that goes right to the baby.
She'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks!

This is the week with both Jeremy and Capri I went into "active labor." I was having contractions 5 minutes part. By this point I was fully effaced and 3cm dilated. Thankfully they were able to stop labor and give me an injection. We'll see how this little girl's 32nd week plays out! As of yesterday I was not dilated and no contractions! Praise the Lord! I went to see my chiropractor this week! He is awesome! My back has felt good for 3 days now!

Time for the monthly update! 

How far along?  32 Weeks

Total weight gain:  25 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep! I don't think there are any non-maternity in my closet. Well, a few dresses that work!
Stretch marks? Nope! I'm still in awe!
Miss Anything? I miss playing with the kids!
Movement: Oh yes! Constantly!
Food cravings: Not really

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Gender: GIRL!! This week is even so we are calling her Heidi.
Labor Signs: I'm still getting contractions when I push too hard.
Belly Button in or out? I think it's still IN but Bobby begs to differ!
Wedding rings on or off? OFF! I had to take it off last week!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Watching Bobby fall in love with another girl!

I thought it might be cool to compare Capri's pregnancy with this one!
Find Capri at 32 weeks here.

Pregnancy Update: 31 Weeks

Baby Rowan (Odd week) measures over 16 inches long and weighs about 3 1/3 pounds, size of a pineapple. She is heading into a growth spurt.
She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body
 are beginning to plump out.

How cute are those two! Showing their brotherly/sisterly love!

Yea! Another week down! I took my wedding ring off this week! I don't like coming to this decision! But it would be awful to have it cut off. I've been having night sweats. Blah! I sleep on a towel and ditch it when it gets too wet! Gross, right! Oh, the glories of pregnancy they don't tell you about when you see that little positive sign! I wouldn't change it for anything!

I have had a little rough time, emotionally lately. You can read about it here.

I feel like it's time to start getting ready. Like clean and wash all the parts to the bassinet, get the newborn cloths out, rearrange my room to fit the baby stuff. I'm so thankful family from Vermont will be here next week to help with all that! PLUS, we need to pick a "come home from the hospital" outfit. I love that part!

I have been wondering where I was at this point in Capri's pregnancy (Jeremy's also but I didn't keep as detailed of an account of it as blogging wasn't around!). Here's Capri at 31 weeks! I know the pictures are not showing up! it's a glitch I need to solve!

A Time for Thankfulness

I know what you are thinking. . . It's not Thanksgiving or even close to November! But this is the perfect time in my life for a season of thankfulness.

I realize most of my posts have a positive tone; I keep it that way for a reason. I want to encourage people who may be in the same place in life. I think our attitude has huge affect on how we handle situations. However, I don't want my life to come off as perfect, because it is far from that. Don't get me wrong we have a GREAT life in which, God deserves ALL the glory, but there are struggles.

I have a dream of my children reading this blog one day to reminisce on their childhood. I want them to see the victories AND the struggles; to help when they are in their childrearing years as parents.

Recently, I've had a hard time emotionally with bed rest. My restrictions started MUCH earlier than the pregnancies with Jeremy and Capri. By 22 weeks (just over 1/2 way along) I was limited to not picking Capri up. With that limitation came a few logistical complications but we made it through.
4 weeks later, (26 weeks), I was put on moderate bed rest due to unusual tightening while I was up and about. That left 11 weeks until the baby was "safe to come." That number has been daunting to me. HOW do I cope with 11 weeks of not taking care of my children and our home. On the bright side, I was not hospitalized and could be home with my family. It was not THAT bad. I realize there are others that have it much worse.

Contractions and back pain started about 29 weeks, easing into full bed rest. Contractions are not strong and go away as long as I'm laying down. Again, not too much to be alarmed by, unless things change.

During this time of going over my feelings and emotions, I started to study the book of Philippians in the Bible. There's an awesome ebook that goes through Philippians verse by verse with history, other verses and commentary. Here's the link: Philippians Devotion.

While studying Paul, his thankfulness and unshakable joyful attitude, no matter his life situation really stuck out to me! I realized I was sulking and not waking up each morning with a thankful, joyful heart. There are so many ways God is helping me through this season in my life. I am not alone, physically or spiritually. I wrote a list of the things I have to be thankful and joyful for right now:

• God is protecting this baby girl! She has passed the Gestational age where she can, with medical attention, live outside of the womb. Each day we make closer to April 24 is a significant blessing.
• We have help every day Bobby is working. Even if we don't schedule it, friends randomly text and ask if I need help that day. 
• The kids are doing great with the transition of so many people coming to take care of them. They are listening to the different "parenting" styles and adjusting well.
• My desire of the house to be cleaned and picked up all the time is being squashed, realizing it can not all be done right now, I just need to accept it. 
• B is doing a great job of juggling all these roles, he is husband, wife, daddy and mommy. He goes to work for 24 hours and comes home to serve us with nothing but joy. 
• Bobby has had the vacation time to take off when needed and able to work a few extra days so when the baby does come he can be home with us for a few weeks. 
• Our house has been stocked with groceries. There is enough food to keep us fed. People have offered to go grocery shopping to alleviate that from Bobby's never-ending to-do list. 
• I get the opportunity to WATCH my kids. So rarely in the daily hustle and bustle of life I don't sit and watch. I get to see their little minds at work, I get to teach them to guide their heart towards kind decisions,  I get to pour into them. Sure, I do this when life is normal but not as often or intentionally. 
• I get to listen to the way the kids respond, play, and react with Daddy! This fills me heart!

I have pulled this list out many times and used them as prayer when my patience is growing thin and I need to use praise to pull myself out of the funk. Being in a funk is not a bad thing, nor is it unhealthy. Living in that funk, phase, self loathing is where the season of life can become a way of life and before you realize it, years have passed. 

The famous Charles Swindoll quote, "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react". Go. Do. Make lemonade. 

Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks!

Heidi is about 15.7 inches and weighs almost 3 pounds (about the size of a large cabbage). 

In addition to the baby, I am carrying around a pint and a half of amniotic fluid. 

Her eyesight is continuing to develop this week.

We still haven't decided on a name: Heidi or Rowan, anf I would like to call her something! So every other week I will switch off. Even weeks: Heidi. Odd weeks: Rowan.

We are moving right along! My doctor's appointment showed more progress in the labor stages. I am fully effaced but not dilated. Bottom line: I need to stay off my feet! Our goal is 6 more weeks. The doctor will check my cervix in 2 weeks, if I have started dilating they will given me a steroid shot to help develop the baby's lungs more rapidly, in case she comes earlier than 36 weeks.

My back is SCREEEAMING at me theses days. The doctor said my uterus is done stretching from breastbone to pelvis, so it's now stretching out! Which explains the back pain!

After telling a dear friend the update, her response was: "I wish I could give you my uterus. Mine [kids] have to be evicted and yours want to be emancipated!" Her daughter was born 10 days late and she carried twins until 38 weeks! They were 7lbs each! B and I were laughing at her wit!

It's pretty much a waiting game at this point. On the days Bobby works, we will have someone here in the morning until the kids go down for a nap (8am-1pm) and then another shift from when they wake up until bed time (330pm-8pm).  My sister and Dad's wife are coming out to spend a week with us to help!! SO thankful for that! We really have a great support system! People have been here around the clock: cooking, cleaning, taking care of the kids, chickens, & dog! It's amazing to see God's work in all of this. We absolutely love our Community of Family, and Friends.

Pregnancy Update: 29 Weeks

Our Baby girl weighs in at 2.5lbs, the size of a butternut squash, she's al title over 15 inches long.
Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and
her head is getting bigger to accommodate her growing brain. Every day, about 200 milligrams of calcium is deposited in the baby's skeleton.
No wonder I'm hungry ALL the time!

It's getting a bit tougher to move around! My hips "snap and pop" constantly. My sciatic hasn't been as bad as a few weeks ago, but getting up off the floor and just moving and twisting in general is hard! To be expected, of course. I'm pretty much done with the day by 6pm! I have been having contractions each night but they are not that intense and they go away within an hour, so nothing to be concerned about.

My amazing husband has been so great these past few weeks! He just jumps in and takes care of all that needs to be done. Never once complaining! God has truly blessed me with him.

I'm struggling this week with the realization of the reality that this has to be our last pregnancy. I don't think it's fair to put our kids, family, and friends through it again. This is SO difficult because we wanted a big family, which it still an option with adoption. I'm also realizing the plan to have many kids was not God's plan for us, it was ours and we made those plans without praying about it. We have now transitioned to praying about what the completion of our family will look like. In addition, praying for contentment in the process of hearing the answer and accepting it.

See you at 30 weeks! Each week closer to 37 is a HUGE blessing!