Presenting....

So I tapered off a little bit at the end of my pregnancy because there was so much going on that I didn't even have time to get extra sleep, let alone write on here.

The girls' hockey season began 2 weeks before my due date so I was worried about getting them to their evaluations, parent meetings, etc. With Ryan working for the Bengals, it has made it difficult for the scheduling of their hockey stuff matching up with some of his overtime evenings but we have made it work.

I also had to finish prepping for yet another big change in our lives. And guess what? HE FINALLY ARRIVED!! On September 30, 2015 at 8:35pm to be exact!

Introducing our wonderful bundle of joy, Sterling Duncan Craig. He weighed 7lbs, 3oz. and was 20.5 inches long. I wanted to write a post on his birth story, more for my purposes in the future but also to share the eventful, interesting day.

We went to Chuck-e-Cheese with my dad, Bonnie (his girlfriend), her grandson, and the girls the on September 29, 2015 because Bonnie's daughter had just given birth to her beautiful baby girl and Bonnie was watching her son while she stayed in the hospital. My dad came down for the birth since it was a scheduled C-Section so it made it easy to time out. All day I had been having some serious back pain but I figured that it was just my son kicking me in the back or shifting around... He was pretty snug in there. I had also been having back pain and hip pain through the pregnancy so I assumed that I just overdid it while trying to work on his room/hospital packing or slept funny the night before. I did lose my mucus plug in the afternoon but after a quick Google search, found out that for first time moms, it usually is a sign that you will have the baby in around 1-2 weeks (my dad found the same results). Also, on September 28, 2015, I had an OB/GYN appointment in which I was informed that I was "closed up like Fort Knox" and had zero effacement or dilation. Boy were we wrong! The girls and Bonnie's grandson played a ton of games while I sat down trying to get comfy, and eat pizza and salad. We eventually left because the kids all needed to get to bed before school the next day.

When I got home, I laid down to go to sleep and I was pretty successful... Until I woke up at about 12:45am with some crazy back and stomach pains... Yay contractions! The worst part about it was that when my contractions would have a break, there would be major back labor that killed in-between every contraction. The back was the most painful part. We called the doctor to let them know that things were getting started and they gave us some timing instructions and instructions on when to go to the hospital. I called my mom to let her know that she may want to get ready to come over and be with the girls so she got up and ready to do come over. Ryan called my dad to let him know it was going down. I felt so bad that it happened like that because he had just gotten home at 12am (he lives in Ft. Wayne, IN so he has a little over a 3 hour drive). If I would have known that I would be going into labor, I would have just told him to stay the evening at our house. Ryan then called his parents to let them know it was happening. Ryan was running around getting things ready for us to take to the hospital. I just got on all fours on the bed and rocked side to side. When a contraction hit, I would lean forward into a downward dog style position and that relieved the pain I was experiencing quite a bit. We eventually decided that it was time to go to the hospital at about 3:45am. I tried to do some of the exercises that we did in my birthing class but unfortunately they were centered around sitting on a birthing ball, which did not relieve any pain at all. As we were on the way to the hospital and at home, I was eating some light snacks (crackers) and lots of water. I just knew that I would be hungry and didn't want to starve for however long it would take to give birth.

We got to the hospital and they hooked me up to the monitors and checked my cervix... I didn't believe it when they told me I was only 3cm dilated! I felt like I should have been farther along! But they admitted me to the hospital because whenever I had my contractions (which were registering fairly high on their scale), my son's heart rate dropped so they wanted to keep me so that they could monitor me and make sure he was safe. I didn't progress at all by 9:00am so they told me that they wanted to put me on Pitocin to try to speed things along because his heart rate kept dropping. They wanted to see if it would positively affect him. My in-laws arrived at the hospital at about 8:00am, and my mom arrived shortly after she dropped the girls off at school around 9:30am. I finally progressed to 5cm at 3:30pm when my dad got there (he told me he would leave work at 12pm unless we told him that things were moving faster). They had to keep turning the Pitocin off because his heart rate kept dropping. They broke my water at about 12:00pm because they wanted to see if my body would start to progress faster on its own. If it didn't and his heart rate kept dropping, they were going to take him via C-Section... Which I was adamant that I didn't want unless necessary! They had me laying on my side and switching every half hour to see if that helped. They didn't want me walking around because they wanted to be able to monitor me. They gave me one last shot at the Pitocin before we decided what to do.

At that point, I told them I needed a few minutes to pray before they started it again, so the nurses and doctor left the room to allow me to have some solitude. I prayed hard that God help my son, keep his heart steady and strong, allow me to make the progress that I needed to quickly, make my labor easy, and allow my son to be healthy when he was born. They checked my dilation (still at 5cm), then turned on the Pitocin and I watched the screen, anxious, crying, and hopeful that my prayer would be answered... And IT WAS! His heart rate stayed strong and steady through all of my contractions. Ryan and my dad left after they made sure we were OK to go grab some food... Poor Ryan didn't eat because he knew that I wasn't allowed to since I was admitted due to the possibility of a C-Section. I progressed extremely quickly after they left... So quickly in fact that they had only made it to the lobby of the hospital when I called to let him know that I made it to 10 centimeters. It was 10 minutes between the time they checked me before Pitocin and the time I called him, no joke! The hospital I was at has the laboring moms sit up for an hour before having them start to push. Apparently it allows the baby to settle into the birth canal further and prevents any undue pushing or stress. So they continued to go eat while I waited. They returned and it was go time... Or so I thought!

My mom sent the girls into the room because we had decided (after their insistence and begging) that they would be in the delivery room during the birth. They were at my head and taking pictures and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. The nurses had me do a couple test pushes since it was my first time. They wanted to make sure that I was doing effective pushes and not pushes that were full of effort and strain, but not effective. Well it turns out that I am a really good pusher! I did 3 test pushes and they could see his head. They made me turn on my side and close my legs because the doctor was currently in another labor. The nurses didn't think it would happen that fast since I had progressed so slowly that day. I ended up getting sick due to my lack of food that day (it happens to me even when I'm not in labor!).. Which only caused me to feel like he was coming out more. The doctor ran in at just the right time. I laid on my back in the position, the doctor rubbed my perineum to try and prevent tearing, then had me push. 3.5 pushes later and there was a screaming, bloody baby being presented to us (Ryan says half because he popped out halfway in my 4th push). He was so adorable! And I didn't care that they laid him on me covered in goo! They took him away to weigh him, prick him, check him, and wrap him up. As they did that, the doctor gave my stomach a few swipes and the placenta was out. Easiest. Labor. Ever. I can't wait to see what the future labors are like (crossing fingers an praying that it is as easy and smooth as this one was). The funny part about my son is that while I was pregnant, I was told that he had a quarter sized patch of hair on the crown of his head. When the doctor broke my water, he said he could feel a lot of hair. When he was crowning they told me he had a full head. When he came out, sure enough he had a full head of bright red hair! Totally unexpected! We know that red runs on both sides of our families but it was not anything we expected!

The girls immediately rushed over to the scale/bed to see him and see how much he weighed. They also got to see the placenta... Which fascinated them. We were all in love with him the moment we laid eyes on him! We had some visitors that came and loved on him. We had kept his name a secret the entire time since we figured out what we were naming him. We chose Sterling because it was awesome and different but not so different that he would hate his name forever. Duncan is after Duncan Keith, a defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks. Ironically, he has a red beard! We chose that because Ryan and I had made a deal that if we got pregnant during the hockey season and our team (the Blackhawks) had won the Stanley Cup that year, we would name our child after one of the players. We decided on a few names and Duncan was one we loved. Well sure enough they ended up winning. And even funnier, Duncan Keith scored the winning goal in game 6 and got the Conn Smythe award as the MVP! I love it!

Anywho, back to my son. Sterling was healthy but then refused to eat after a day in the hospital. I tried breastfeeding and it was surprisingly working on my end. My supply was building, which is a struggle that women with PCOS have, so I was surprised. We tried everything we could. He ended up get jaundice and had to go under the lights for almost 2 days. This was the hardest time I have ever had to go through. They took him out of our room and would only bring him back every few hours for 20 minutes so that I could feed him. We would try to breastfeed as much as I could get him to do then we gave him a supplement bottle. Luckily, the hospital I was at allowed us to stay for free after being discharged. It was a wonderful service because I couldn't imagine leaving that hospital for even a second with him still being there! He was eventually discharged on Sunday, October 4, 2015. To this day we are having feeding issues with him but are getting them checked out with his doctor. So we shall see what happens with that.

I am so excited to spend the rest of my life loving this amazing little boy! He has honestly stolen my heart already!

I have attached a few pictures below, take a look at my super cute baby!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

38 weeks!!!

Eeeeek!!! I am bubbling over with joy this week!! We are even closer to meeting our little man!

This week will be my last week of work until January. Its sooo exciting! I will be glad to be able to have lots of time to be productive, get things done and relax a little before the baby comes!

Yesterday was our 3 year anniversary! I am so excited to have spent the past 3 years married to my fella! Granted, it hasn't all been easy peasy but I wouldn't have it any other way! I can't wait to see what this next year will bring us seeing as how it will have a new addition to the family :-) We spent the day at work then had a doctor's appointment and then headed to Indianapolis to go to the temple. We have decided to start a new tradition of going to the temple on our anniversary just to live in the moment and remember the covenants we made to each other that day. It was absolutely special and I loved every minute of it!



This is a quick picture I snapped last night in front of the temple doors with my hot stud before we left to go back home :-)

The OB appointment went well. We didn't wait long, which was nice. We also go to see one of the doctors we like so that was an added bonus! My weight gain is on target, my measurements are right on target, my BP was great and the baby's heartbeat sounded great. We discussed the swelling I have been having in my ankles and he told me to prop my feet up whenever I get a chance. He told me the swelling I'm experiencing isn't concerning to his since everything looks good vitally and in my urine cultures but he did run down a list of symptoms that if they occur, I need to call him ASAP because it could be a sign of something happening. He checked my cervix and I am all closed up and the baby is still sitting high... So high in fact that by feeling he couldn't tell for sure if it was a head or his butt so he felt around on my belly and found out he is still head down (thank goodness!!). So it looks like the baby won't be coming anytime soon, which I am ok with! I predict I will go pretty close to my due date :-)

I have another baby shower hosted by a couple wonderful women at my church on Saturday. Next week we will be going shopping for any last minute items that we'll need for the baby before he arrives.

Ryan got his stuff in the room cleaned up and put the bassinet on his side of the bed. I just have to get mine cleaned up. We've both gotten in a really bad habit of doing laundry, leaving the clean stuff in the basket and throwing dirty stuff on the floor. So we're fixing that. I also need to go through my clothes and donate the stuff I didn't wear before pregnancy so that I can clear out space. I have wayyy too many clothes and I don't even wear most of them. I would rather have less options and more organization than baskets and closets and dressers full of clothes!

37 Weeks

I am officially a week closer to meeting our wonderful boy! I'm getting wayyyy anxious!

37 weeks and counting... I don't think I look too bad!

So last week the doctor told me the glucose in my urine was too high and she wanted me to get an ultrasound before my next appointment to check on the size of the baby and the amount of fluid. My measurements are coming up spot on every week but she thinks I may have developed GD in late pregnancy but wants to check the baby before she sends me for another glucose test or something.

Well, I got the privilege of seeing our little guy twice in one day! I also got to fall asleep to his heartbeat :-) Why you may be asking? Well, I got rear-ended on Wednesday (the 16th) on my way to church to meet with my Bishop. Fun fun! I was stopped on the road behind someone waiting for them to turn left and out of nowhere, this lady hits the back of my car going full speed (40-45mph). Her airbags went off. Her and her daughter (late high school/early college age) went to the hospital with very minor injuries but their car will be deemed totaled. Luckily my car barely moved, as apparently it is a tank/boulder/hoss! I have very little damage to my car and once insurance gets all settled out, it will be fixed in 2 days. We had to wait around for a while because their car's frame was wrapped around the ball hitch on my car so the tow truck had to pry her car off of mine... It was interesting to say the least. I did go to the hospital to get checked in case anything happened to the baby and they kept me overnight for observation and so I could get an ultrasound in the morning. They woke me up every couple hours to check my vitals and see how the baby was doing. His heart rate was great all night but he was being very stubborn and tried to move away from the heart monitor several times hahah I had the ultrasound and everything looked good, which is always good news. The hubby was wonderful enough to stay at the hospital with me all night and took the day off on Thursday to make sure I was doing ok. We got to eat breakfast at IHOP after we were discharged, which was delicious!

On Thursday (17th) I had my OB appointment scheduled and the ultrasound before that. The ultrasound tech (who we love) said he looks great and his fluid levels are normal. He is in the 75th percentile for weight, weighing in at an estimated 7 pounds, 1 ounce, so he is a little bit bigger but nothing concerning. I have always thought he would be somewhere between 8 to 8.5 pounds when he was born, so it doesn't surprise me or concern me. The funny thing is that I had no glucose in my urine this time, which proves that my theory of how the glucose got in my urine that day is probably correct. Who knows? More good news: my group B strep test came back negative! Woot Woot! I was worried about that one because it means I can't do most of my laboring at home, which is where I'll be most comfortable, I would have to do it in a hospital... Which is no fun!

On Saturday (the 19th) we went to Cleveland for my great grandpa's 90th birthday! He is such a magnificent man. He has been through so much in his lifetime but still manages to keep a happy attitude, positive spirit and be loving to everyone. He is truly an inspiration. At 90 years old, he and his wife still live on their own in a 2 bedroom condo in a retirement community. He manages the community garden; restores various furniture; builds cool things like model log cabins from scratch complete with furniture; paints beautiful pictures; is on their community counsel; is single-handedly responsible for the community getting new (and more) fire hydrants, street signs and stop signs; and so much more... All things he has done in the 15 years he has lived in that community! We had to leave after the party so Ryan could get home in time for work on Sunday morning.

I had another baby shower today (the 20th) hosted by Ryan's mom. It was a fun time! She did a brunch and totally outdid herself on the food! She had everything from standard muffins, croissants and fruit to biscuits and gravy, hash brown casserole and soooo much more! There were a bunch of games and everyone walked away with a prize (even the kids).

I will be back next week with another update :-)

36 Weeks

Well here it is folks, my 36 week picture! 4 more weeks until we get to meet our little poop machine! Er, I mean, bundle of joy! hahaha

We are beyond excited for him to come into our lives! The girls are counting down the days (probably more so than we are!) I am so happy that they are so excited! Their teachers keep telling us how much they talk about the baby on a regular basis so we know they aren't just putting on their fake excited faces for us!

These days, I am getting up every 2 hours in the middle of the night to pee... I'm surprised at just how much urine my body can produce. I have a strong bladder and can hold it for hours if needed but now with this baby! I am doing pretty well on the comfort level. I do need to make sure we get to church in time for us to get a "cushy" seat as we call it as opposed to the hard metal chairs in the back... If not, I can't make it through the first hour of church! I am still able to wear my engagement ring with no problems in the swelling department (I do check at least once a day to make sure I can still get it off pretty easily). The wedding bands have been gone for some time because I got so freaked out that they would get stuck... All 3 of the rings together takes up almost the whole bottom of my finger so I think you can see why I was so freaked! I have swelling in my ankles and calves every now and again but nothing a little propping up of the feet can't fix. I did notice that if I am walking around a lot, I do not have swelling so I have been trying to walk around a little more at work (my job is very sedentary and in front of a computer so it makes it a little hard).

This morning I did go to my regular doctor and it turns out I have tonsillitis... Which is fun... NOT! At first I thought it was a cold or something but it just kept getting worse and I started to lose my voice, have a raspy cough and anytime I coughed it felt like knives stabbing me in the throat. But I am able to take antibiotics given to me by my doctor and apparently Delsym is safe for pregnant women so I have been able to take that to help with the cough. We'll see how it goes with getting better!

I also went to the OB this afternoon for my 36 week appointment and to have the Group B Strep test. We waited for over an hour for this doctor. I really didn't like her much at all. I have had no problems with any of the other doctors in the practice except her. We got put in a room after waiting in the waiting room for an hour then I had to wait on the table, half undressed for 30 more minutes! Ugh! I hope next week isn't the same! She comes in tells me there was a good amount of glucose in my urine and she wants me to have an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay with the baby's growth and that he isn't growing to quickly or that he doesn't have too much fluid around him. So I have to do that next week. I don't think there will be any problems. I am hoping so at least... I don't want a huge baby and I also don't want anything to be wrong with him!! I am measuring on target again with my growth. The Group B strep test was uncomfortable.... I'm pretty sure she stuck the swab up my butt lol anyways, I have to wait about a week for the results to come back for that so we shall see if I am positive for it. I hope not. I would love to not have to be tied down to an IV machine for antibiotics while I'm trying to make my labor more comfortable.

I have not had any Braxton Hicks, so here's to hoping I continue to not have them. My mom told me that she didn't have them when she was pregnant with any of us, her labor just kind of came one day with my brother and I, and for the younger 2 she had to be induced for medical reasons.

As of this week, I have 3 weeks left of work. My boss has given me the week before off, which is nice because I can get last minute things done and focus on preparing myself for labor. It kind of stinks though because I would love to have one of those "I went into labor at work" stories lol

Other than that, I don't have much else to update at the moment. I will update later next week after my appointment to let you all know how things are going!

35 Weeks

So in keeping up with promises, I am posting this week. I feel soooo bad that I have been so terrible about updating this blog. I know it was meant to be a journey through my pregnancy but I didn't anticipate being so busy!!

As of 35 weeks, my little nugget is squirming around rather than kicking and likes to rest his butt on my ribs. He is still head down and has been since I was about 23 or 24 weeks along. He loves when I eat fruit and drink ice cold drinks. He squirms like crazy when I eat a Snowie (for those who aren't familiar, its basically a snow cone but with super finely shaved ice and delicious flavor combinations). He loves hearing his dad's voice and seems to recognize it now and will squirm when he hears him come home. Nugget is just being good. I am still having my groin pain and occasional heartburn but nothing crazy.

I had my first baby shower on August 15, 2015, which my mom hosted and it was fun (despite being in Florida until that morning with my brother for the birth of his baby). I won't lie, I was nervous that it wouldn't turn out because she had been in Florida for a week at that point and wasn't here to do anything for it. Luckily, she had a plan and family that was here were able to pitch in to help execute the plan she had. The party was superhero themed and so is the nursery. We're trying to keep it classic superhero and not the newer versions of the heroes. We are also not being picky on DC or Marvel, we want him to like them all! Here is the cake that my cousin made with one of the signs that was décor but we got to keep to hang up in the nursery.

We got quite a few different gifts from the people that came, which we are thankful for. I was a little disappointed that many people who said they were coming didn't show. That is one of my pet peeves. I understand emergencies happen (one person had to bail for an ER visit for their kid) but when you just don't show up without an explanation, that's just rude!

 

There is still a good amount of stuff we need to get but we have a great start on it all! I have another shower coming up on September 20th that is being hosted by Ryan's mom, she says it is going to be brunch... I love brunch!

 

Then I believe I will be having a church shower but we shall see if that will happen or not... I'm not very high on the priority or caring list of a lot of people there since I'm not new, since I have a job and can't just go to lunch in the middle of the day, or can't have a "playdate" with our kids because I have the girls who are older (and have no interest) and a baby on the way who can't play with anyone except my insides. I guess we'll see what happens. If not, I don't really expect anyone will really give a crap about the baby, except in the courteous way. Most of the time when people in my church are pregnant, there is usually more than one person pregnant and right now I am the only one. The weird part is, no one seems to really care about my pregnancy or baby, which is fine, it shows you how people really are. I get the usual "how are you feeling?" but not in a way that I feel like if I wasn't doing well, they would honestly care or do anything to help me out... Not a way that you want to feel in a large organization of people who are supposed to be like your second "family". But I think I have kind of always felt like an outsider there because I haven't been a member my whole life, I have a different perspective on life, I have piercings and tattoos that will be with me forever, I don't like to speak in public and I don't have time to always go to the RS activities due to things the girls have going on. I honestly don't think anyone (except my close friends... who are actually across the country and their parents are close friends of mine too who live here) knows the struggles that I have had with the girls, with PCOS or with pregnancy and frankly, I don't think anyone would care if they did know. My bishop knows and he has talked to the RS presidency about it because I was having a really hard time for about a year with wanting to go to RS because every lesson seemed to involve kids and raising families and how one of the roles of a woman is to bear children so she can continue her posterity... Well when you can't produce a child and then have to pay out thousands of dollars just to be able to try to get pregnant, those kinds of talks only bring you down. But did any of those talks change when the bishop talked to the RS? Nope. Not one single bit. So instead of going, I would just skip out on the last hour of church by wandering the halls, sitting in the foyer reading or just leave the building and go home. It was a dark time. I did not feel supported at all. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has gone through a dark period and a time where they just don't want to be at church but during that time, I should feel supported by my fellow sisters, not forgotten. Sorry, rant over, its just frustrating!

 

This past weekend, we took a little mini family vacation to Norris Lake with my grandparents, my mom and her husband, Ryan's parents and his younger brother. It was a ton of fun!! We had a cabin on the lake and rented a boat for Saturday and just lounged all day on the boat and did some tubing (I did not). It was lot of fun and very relaxing!!

Right now, my project is to wash, dry and sort all of the clothing that has been given to us by my dad's girlfriend. She has 2 grandsons who have grown out of their clothing and she doesn't want to keep hanging on to it for no reason since one of her daughters is done having kids and the other daughter is having a girl days prior to me and is done having kids after her girl. We are beyond thankful for all of the stuff she has given us! We have enough clothes for our little guy to never wear the same outfit more than once for the first year of his life. We know we have more coming from her, hubby's mom and my aunt (she has a son who will be 10 months older than our boy).

 

I have organized all the baby stuff into bins so it is all easier to access and find when its the middle of the night and I'm tired or if the girls are being helpful (they're terrible at finding stuff unless its labeled clearly). I still have a couple boxes of clothes to wash and sort. I also have to hang up and put away the clothes in the newborn to 6 months range. All of the other clothes in the bigger sizes are in clear bins with labels on them and will go in the closet when I am done with them.

 

My next project will be to set up the bookshelf when we get it. Then I will be doing some dusting and cleaning of the house. Then I will get my hospital bag together so that we are prepared for an early arrival, should it occur. Then I will be working on our room so that I can get it organized and clothes off the floor so I can put the bassinet in there. I have 4.5 weeks left to prepare so hopefully we can get it all done!!

 

Ryan starts school in 2 weeks, the girls start hockey in 3 weeks, Ryan starts coaching in 3 weeks, the Bengals start their regular season in 2 weeks (so hubby will be working a lot more) and we have quite a few weekend events coming up that will take our Saturdays away. I also have noticed I have been getting increasingly tired throughout the day, so that doesn't help with getting anything done. Wish me luck that it all gets done in time!!

 

I think that is all for my update today. I will try to update next week, if I remember! Hopefully by then, the nursery will be completely done and I can show it off!

34 Weeks!!!!

I apologize to those who have been trying to keep up-to-date with my pregnancy. I have been terribly busy and attempting to prepare for our baby's arrival!

At this point right now, I am 34 weeks. I don't look as pregnant as most people would expect I do... The photos below are from when I was 12 weeks and 34 weeks, respectively.

 

 

I am obviously pregnant lol I just get told a lot that I do not look as big as most people when they are as far along as I am.

 

So far, my tests have gone well and I have had no crazy symptoms. I passed my glucose test! It is something I was super nervous about and prayed very hard for me to pass. I was afraid I wouldn't because of my PCOS and my family history of diabetes but I passed it! I did have to do the 3-hour test (which I will write about in another post) because I screwed up the 1 hour test like a silly person! I still have had no nausea or vomiting. The only symptoms I have had are some major groin pains on my left side. It only hurts and makes it difficult to get up out of bed or sitting down if I have been sitting or laying for a while. I do notice the pain is more severe (nothing I can't just "walk off") when I have been super active during the day and just have a seat to relax/kick my feet up or lay down to go to sleep. It does make it hard to turn over in bed at night... There is a lot of grunting and breathing deep when I have to wake up to pee every 3 hours haha! I have had some heartburn but nothing too severe. I just take tums when it happens and consume a lot of water. I have noticed I get it when I don't eat for extended periods of time... Sometimes I am just not hungry. I have not had any crazy swelling, except when I get super hot and the swelling stays to my ankles and calves. It is usually remedied by propping my feet up and occasionally an ice pack to speed the process up. I have also noticed that I have lightheaded and super hot (even inside an air conditioned environment) if I am walking around a lot or am active and have not eaten in a few hours. My doctor said my blood sugar is most likely dropping and I need to always keep a snack with me so that I can eat something. If that doesn't work, I need to sit down and rest for a few minutes while drinking some water or Gatorade to cool myself off. Summer pregnancies are tricky with the heat and humidity outside and the increased blood and heat flowing through our pregnant bodies. I am staying well hydrated!!

 

As far as weight gain goes, I am right on target, which is something I was also worried about! Having PCOS only means gaining weight is super easy to do, its the getting it off that is hard! I have gotten lucky that I have been craving healthy stuff and not unhealthy stuff. The most unhealthy thing I have wanted to eat while pregnant is apples with caramel! Everything else has been huge portions of salad or grapes or crackers (regular or graham) with PB or carrots with dip. I have loved it! I wanted to make sure I kept my weight gain down to a minimum so that it isn't so hard to get off after I have the baby.

 

The baby's growth is right on target as well. Although, the ultrasound technician said he is in the 75th percentile for weight, weighing in at an estimated 5 to 5.5 pounds at just 33 weeks along. At 34 weeks, most babies weigh about 4.75 pounds so he was a wee bit big for  his gestational age but those measurements could be off. Based on the fact that I am showing on the smaller side and that my measurements at the doctor are right where they should be, I bet he'll just be an average sized baby, nothing too big.

 

I have had a significant increase in testosterone during this pregnancy because of my PCOS, already high testosterone and my baby being a boy. My hair has grown a little faster and darker in places that the hair was blonde. I have resisted my usual "shave it off" mindset and instead either left the new stuff alone, plucked it out or waxed it off if needed. So far, it has worked and only made the hair better. I just really want to lower my testosterone back to normal after this baby. I will feel MUCH better about myself!!

 

We have finished all of our classes for birth, breastfeeding and infant care. We kind of miss going to our classes and having our "couple's time" but I'm glad that they are over and we can focus on practicing what we learned before he arrives. If I haven't said it already, my plan is to have a natural, unmedicated birth. I feel that I have a pretty high pain tolerance level and want to see if my body can complete something that is so natural and that women have been doing for years! I know, I know, just about everyone in our family has told me that I am crazy and if I don't have to experience pain, why should I? But I know my body can do it and I know with the Lord by my side and the help of my hubby, I can do it!

 

I have been enjoying being pregnant. As I said before, there as not been anything that I have experienced that has been overly unpleasant (except the yeast infection) and the baby isn't causing me pain or discomfort (except when he rests his butt on my ribs... my mom says it is payback because that is exactly what I did when she was pregnant with me lol). He can stay cooking in here as long as he needs to be in here!! I am however getting extremely excited about meeting him, he will be the greatest!!

 

My brother's girlfriend had their baby a couple weeks ago. She had a very complicated pregnancy and their daughter was born 3 or so weeks early. I am just glad the baby is ok! Her name is Sydney Elaine and she is cute as can be! My mom said that she looks like me when I was born... I looked back at pictures and it is true! She looks nothing like my brother when he was born but looks a ton like me! My brother was born with blonde hair and was smaller. I was born with jet black hair that spiked straight up, puffy cheeks and was about 8.5 pounds. Sydney looks just like that. Even at being born 3 weeks early, she weighed 8lbs, 10 oz! I can only imagine how big she would be if she cooked for another 3 weeks. My brother's girlfriend had high blood pressure and TONS of swelling for weeks so when her BP didn't decrease for weeks, they decided to induce her. Apparently, she had a rough birth. The epidural didn't work so well and she wasn't prepared for any pain at all, the doctor stopped counting stiches when she reached over 100, there was drama with her family and mine, there was drama with her family and my brother... Seemed like a whole mess that I am glad that I was not present for because I don't do drama. I want my birthing experience to be as drama free as possible!!

 

Well I am off for now, I will try to write something next week about the nursery and current projects :-)

Pregnancy Progress

I have been TERRIBLE about updating this blog during my pregnancy! Work has been crazy busy, the girls hockey season, summer events, preparing for a baby... Its all crazy!!

I wanted to write a quick update though to let everyone know how my pregnancy is going. Summed up in one word: perfect. No joke.

I have had zero nausea or vomiting. I have had only slight pain in my round ligament area and lower pelvic region (nothing a brace and a little heat can't fix!). I was able to go camping (yes in a tent) on the 4th of July weekend with no problems except the rain being a bit of a damper. Went on a 2 hour, 2 mile cave tour with no pain or shortness of breath (except for the end when we had to go up 450 very steep steps... but even the most fit person on the tour was a little winded). Have been doing yoga every week. Working like regular. No crazy cravings except for fruits and veges and peanut butter on graham or regular crackers and giant amounts of salad. No excessive weight gain (I actually lost a couple pounds in the first trimester and my doctor just told me Monday that my weight gain is perfect and exactly where it needs to be). No complaints from me. My husband tries to tell people I have been an angel or perfect through the entire pregnancy thus far, but no one seems to believe him lol

As of today, I am 28 weeks and 2 days. I started feeling my wonderfully perfect baby boy kick me on May 25, 2015 and Ryan was able to feel it as well on that day. He is an active baby. He apparently loves hockey already just as much as we do. We were watching the Stanley Cup Playoff games (our team Chicago Blackhawks were in the playoffs and eventually won the cup) and every time Chicago would score a goal, he would kick. When they would win the game, he would go crazy. Not because we were going crazy, in fact all we did was high five each other because we didn't want to wake the girls up as they were asleep during all but the final game. I can't even tell you how crazy he went when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup... Needless to say, I felt like a human punching bag for about 5 minutes hahah

The placenta is located in the anterior position so he is sitting towards the back. I started feeling him move under my ribs when I was about 22 weeks along. Now the movements I get are under the ribs, normal kicking/headbutting to the side, front and down low, and I get creepy crawly movements that just feel odd because they aren't like the kicks- they are him moving around to get comfy.

I did have one fail so far but it was to be expected a little bit. Now I preface this by saying, I have been doing really, really well with my diet during the pregnancy. I have tried to do my best (and everyone has agreed) to feed myself and the baby properly. I took my one-hour glucose test and failed. I will also state that I screwed it up. The nurse who gave me the solution to take home told me I could eat beforehand- she never warned me no carbs or that it had to be at least an hour before. So me, being the genius that I am, ate two pieces of whole wheat toast with a smidge of butter about 5 minutes before drinking the solution. Based on the results, my doctor believes that the eating messed it up but either way, I do have to go in for the 3 hour glucose test this Friday morning. I am crossing fingers that I pass this. I really, really don't want GD!! I know it is very common and not unexpected in women with PCOS but it doesn't mean it sucks any less! I would love to be able to not have to super watch what I eat, have a super big baby or have to have a C-Section because of his shoulders. Please say a prayer that I don't have to do that!

Other than the GD test, I have been doing amazingly. I can no longer fit into my pre-pregnancy pants without a waist expender thing. I can still fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy tops, which is great!

All in all, I have no complaints during this pregnancy. I do however need to get my butt moving on the office transition. We're combining the office with the craft room  but the office is a huge mess because it also became our catch-all room when we didn't have time or a place to put something. Luckily, it is coming along. I have the goal to have it all cleared out by the time this weekend is over since we don't have anything else going on (Ryan will be working). I want to get the monsoon of baby furniture, clothing and toys out of our front room as quickly as we can.

Oh and speaking of nursery, we have planned that we are going to do a vintage superhero themed bedroom. We got a dresser that we are going to paint with blue, red and yellow to match the theme (hopefully the dresser can double as our changing table, if not, we'll just have to get one). Ryan's aunt is graciously sewing the bedding and curtains out of this cool fabric Ryan's mom found online that she was going to order for us. We were able to already buy the crib, rocking chair and dresser for his room. We have a ton of clothes to wash and hang up that we got from my dad's girlfriend (she has 2 grandsons that have grown out of all of it) and more to come from my aunt and uncle who had a boy in November. His room will come together nicely!

And before anyone asks, no we don't have his name picked out yet... We agree on a lot of names, the hard part is choosing what your child will be identified as for the rest of his life. Lots of pressure there!

He is already so spoiled and loved by everyone. I can't wait for him to arrive in October!! I will try to be better about updating! I will post pictures of his nursery once everything is complete. We will also be having a 3d/4d ultrasound at my 30 week appointment because the girls want to see him move around and see what he looks like. They haven't been to any of the appointments and I didn't realize our last ultrasound would be my anatomy scan so we're going to pay a little but they are beyond excited to be able to go and see him.