35/36 Weeks

Baby Upp has dropped! At the beginning of my 35th week I felt like I had more room to breathe and suddenly started using the bathroom much much more. Where I had been waking up a couple times a night to use the bathroom, suddenly I was getting up every 2 hours, or about 4-5 times a night! I also began having a lot more pressure in my pelvis and upper thigh area. I figured he must have "dropped" which caused all this pressure. Besides these new aches, everything else is still going really well. It's becoming more difficult to get up from a sitting to standing position quickly. I feel like I need to take everything a little slower to let my muscles and ligaments ease into it, rather than stretching or causing pain. When I get out of bed in the morning it takes a few minutes for my muscles to feel right and I feel like I need to stretch real well when getting out of bed. I'm still working out, doing prenatal yoga and pilates DVD's and going to the gym and using the elliptical machine regularly. I'm hoping that keeping up with the excercise will benefit me during my labor.

We had our 36 week appointment today. Blood pressure was still good, weight gain was good and baby's heartbeat sounded great - 135 beats per minute. Dr. Bess did the GBS swab (results will be available next week) and a quick internal exam. She confirmed that yes we have progress! She confirmed that Baby Upp did in fact, "drop." She said he is head down in my pelvic region, preparing for birth. I am not dilated yet, but she said my cervix was thinning in preparations. She said having him head down and lower in my pelvis is what is causing my new discomfort and the added pressure down there. I don't mind the pressure just knowing that he is preparing for birth!! We went over a lot of my labor and delivery questions.

After that appointment, I had an appointment with the Birth Registrar at the hospital to complete paperwork and prepare the birth certificate paperwork so there is less to do once I arrive in labor. We had to sign all the consent forms, supply our pediatricians name, etc. We just decided on our pediatrician as well which I'm very excited about. We have heard fabulous things about Whole Child Pediatrics and that the doctors there take a holistic approach and are not quick to jump to medications when there are natural alternatives to try. Additionally, they are open to a slower vaccination schedule which is perfect for our views. We declined the Hep B vaccination at the hospital and will have that done during our vaccination schedule upon discussing it with our pediatrician. There are so many decisions that have to be made before the baby is even born, yikes!

We are counting down the weeks until we get to meet our little blessing!! 3 1/2 to go....

35 Weeks:

36 Weeks:

33/34 Weeks

I have finally hit the point of pregnancy where complete strangers are strinking up conversations about my pregnancy. I don't mind, but just find it strange. I don't think I've ever started talking to a random pregnant woman at the mall. I guess when your belly is just out there, people are curious :)

He is still moving like crazy and I actually feel like he has dropped a little lower because all of a sudden, every time he moves it instantly makes me have to go to the bathroom or puts akward pressure on some part of my pelvic region and makes it extremely uncomfortable for a few minutes until he moves again. During the night he is pretty active so I'm not really sleeping that well. I'm getting up every few hours anyway to go to the bathroom and it seems like my few hour long sleep sessions are interuppted by kicking in my ribs or excessive moving that my stomach is contorting into strange positions. It's not so easy getting in and out of bed anymore either so it seems like every time I have to get up it is so much of an effort.

I have started having really sore upper thighs and crampy lower pelvic region. I feel like I just ran a race and my inner/upper thighs are sore. But I didn't just run a race, so I'm not sure what this soreness is. I assume this is just another joy of pregnancy :)

All in all, things are still going well. Besides the few symptoms I'm feeling, I still feel really good. I know lots of women go through a lot of difficult issues during pregnancy and have much more annoying symptoms so I'm very thankful that I have been so blessed with a wonderful pregnancy. I am very excited to have our baby in our arms, but I also think sometimes I may actually miss being pregnant. Only 6 more weeks (give or take!).

33 week picture:

34 week picture:

Maternity Photo Shoot

31-32 Weeks, Lots of Updates

Growing, growing, growing!! That's my belly and my baby!! According to Baby Center our baby is almost 4 pounds! Wow!! I can't wait to meet him!

We had our 32 week appointment the morning after Thanksgiving. I was worried about how much weight I had gained and surprisingly it was the best appointment yet. I only gained 1 pound over the past 2 1/2 weeks, YES!!!! The appointment was quick as usual. Dr. Bess checked my weight, blood pressure, measured my stomach and listened to the heartbeat - a healthy 145! Everything looked and sounded great.

Aaron and I have started our childbirth class on Tuesday nights at the hospital. So far we've had 2 classes that have been very informative. We went over the stages of labor and what to expect, and relaxation and breathing techniques.

We also met with 2 doulas that we hired for our birth. I think having a doula at the birth will really help me go much longer without an epidural. I hope to be able to labor using breathing and positioning as long as I can and I really do not want to get an epidural right away because then I will be confined to the hospital bed. So, with that said, I think having the support and knowledge of a doula will be really beneficial. Plus, if my mom can't be at the hospital (because of the awful new visitation policy because of flu season) I think it will be nice to have an extra woman for emotional support.

I'm finding that my back is beginning to ache more after a whole day at work, probably because I am on my feet all day long. I try to sit when I can but really, working with 23 6 year olds does not allow for much sitting time.

We also had a maternity photo shoot with my dad this week. My dad has a great camera that he is pretty good with so Aaron and I had pictures taken out in their front yard. The pictures came out great!! We have some really nice ones that I am hoping to put into black and white and hang in the nursery. They will be really nice keepsakes to have when I am no longer pregnant.

At the end of my 32nd week, I experienced my first Braxton Hicks contractions. They started in the evening and were pretty regular. I actually timed them and they were anywhere from 7 - 10 minutes apart. I had about 7 in an hour. They continued through the night and the next morning at work so I called my doctor. She was surprised to hear that I had so many in an hour but because they had slowed down the next day she was not concerned. As long as they aren't becoming more regular or more intense, all is good. Just another joy of pregnancy - these lovely uncomfortable contractions :) Although I know some women get them much earlier in their pregnancy, so again I feel blessed that I have had such a wonderful pregnancy!!

I can't believe we only have 7-8 weeks left!!!

31 Week Picture:

32 Week Picture:

Nursery Progress

We finished the nursery!! We decided on paint colors and Mom came over and painted. She finished all in one day! Then a week or two later, we started the decorating process! Mom's gift to us was to do the whole nursery... She sure did! She bought all the stuff to decorate! Here are the before pictures:

And here is after the nursery was finished:

Baby Shower

Mrs. Lucien threw me a beautiful baby shower this past weekend! She did an incredible job, down to every single detail!! Her basement was decorated in little toys and books, and she had a clothesline with little baby onsies and outfits hanging across the top of the wall. She had a beautiful cake with blue booties and gave out blue cupcakes for favors. We played a couple games - a trivia game, an estimation game and a game where everyone had to cut a piece of string they thought was the size of my stomach. Most people over estimated, (mom almost doubled my size! :) but Karen's string was almost exact! She also had some cute prizes for the winners - a bottle of wine called Mommy's Time Out. Kelly made a beautiful diaper cake that was the centerpiece for the table.

Everyone brought such amazing gifts! We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and Baby Noah is so lucky to be surrounded by such generosity!! I opened gifts and was overwhelmed with so many clothes, toys, books, blankets, a pack and play, a car seat, nursery decorations, and so much more!! After the shower I came home and went through it all over again! I am still going through all his stuff and trying to organize his nursery and put things away. I can't wait to finalize his nursery and get everything set up and organized!

29 - 30 Weeks

Well I am officially feeling like I'm into my third trimester. My baby bump is no longer a bump, but rather a basketball looking bump. I underestimate my size as I still try to squeeze between things I used to be able to fit through, but don't fit anymore. I still feel really good though! I have some minor aches/pains in my lower back that bother me every now and then. I'm tired most of the time again, but I also attribute that to having a job that I am on my feet all day long. It's difficult to stay on my feet and always smiling for my little first graders some of time! Sleeping has become a little more uncomfortable. It's more difficult for me to get comfortable and I do wake up a couple times throughout the night to go to the bathroom. All in all, I'm still having a great pregnancy and feel good.

Baby Noah is moving all the time!!!!! He definitely sleeps more during the day and is still awake at night. I'll be interested to see if this pattern stays the same when he is born. There are periods through the day when he will wake up and move and kick for about 30 minutes before going back to sleep. During the night he kicks pretty strong and moves a lot! He has even woken me up while I've been sleeping with a strong kick!

We started going to the doctor every 2 weeks now that I'm in my third trimester. We had our 30 week appointment the other day. I got weighed, measured, etc. Everything is still looking great. I passed my glucose screening and anemia blood test, so no problems! She said my stomach is measuring where it should be and commented that I am definitely carrying all the weight right in my stomach. I'd like to keep it that way! We heard the heartbeat - a nice, strong 142 beats per minute.

Our next appointment is the morning after Thanksgiving... I'm not looking forward to being weighed that morning! :)

Week 29 picture:

Week 30 pictures:

We picked a name!!

We've decided on a name!! Baby Upp will be Noah James Upp! :)

Aaron and I both love the name Noah, and James is Aaron's middle name. I can't wait to meet him!

28 Weeks, Glucose Screening

I had my 28 week dr. appointment today. I am now 7 months along! I got the usual check up - weight, blood pressure, urine sample and then I had to do the dreaded glucose screening. I had to drink 50 grams of this nasty orange flavored syrup like drink. I had 5 minutes to drink it and it was not good. Although, I had heard from many people how nasty the drink was so I went into it prepared for the worst. I must say, it was not as terrible as I had expected. It wasn't good, but I managed to get it down in about 3 minutes and keep it down. Then I saw the Dr. She measured me and said I was right on track with where I should be. We heard Baby Upp's heartbeat - a healthy 134. Then we had to wait until an hour after I finished the drink to have my blood drawn. This blood test checks for gestational diabetes and anemia. I will find out the results in a few days. This appointment marked the end of my 2nd trimester/end of 4 week appointments and the beginning of my 3rd trimester and the beginning of going to the doctor every 2 weeks. I can't believe it! This pregnancy is flying by so quickly!

I still feel real good for the most part. It is getting more difficult to stand up quickly when I've been sitting and just find myself doing things a little slower to not cause pain in my back but besides that I feel pretty good.

Week 28 Pictures: Right before my Birthday dinner! The black hides my stomach a bit I suppose.

27 Weeks

I feel like I have gotten huge! I definitely am showing a clear belly that slightly resembles a ball. Everyone keeps telling me that it's clear I am carrying a boy since it's like a little basketball all in front. My belly button has completely spread out and appears to almost be popping out but it hasn't yet. My stomach is much tighter and when Baby Upp moves I can feel exactly where he is from the outside. It's so neat to be able to feel him! I can actually see him move from the outside as well. When I'm relaxing on the couch, if I lift up my shirt, I can see him kick and move. It's very surreal! He is becoming even more active which I didn't think would happen. He seems to move and kick a lot more often and even more at night. He is now kicking enough to wake me up right while I'm falling asleep. But once I'm asleep, I'm fine.

I've started having muscle pains on the underside of my stomach. I'm sure these are typical "growing pains" but it is my first real sign of my increasing stomach. I feel like my stomach is getting bigger by the day which is amazing. I keep thinking that I have 13 more weeks to go - if it keeps growing at this rate I am going to be HUGE by the end! It must slow down at some point, I believe I am going through a growth spurt right now.

27 Week pictures:

25 - 26 Weeks

At this point I'm somewhere around 6 1/2 months along. Baby Upp is moving a lot on a regular basis and kicking like crazy. He does have somewhat of a schedule it seems like. He is definitely calmer during the day, only moving every now again. It seems when he shifts around in my stomach, sometimes he'll shift right into my bladder or another organ so I'm uncomfortable for a few seconds until he moves again. At night, when I lay down around 10 or so, he seems to get really active kicking and moving and kicking until I fall asleep. He probably continues while I'm asleep, but so far I have been able to sleep through his movements.

I felt my first case of baby hiccups during my 26th week. It felt like small movements but very rhythmic. I had read that hiccups are common so I assume that's what it was. It lasted for a few minutes. That is the only time I have felt that though.

Still feeling pretty good! By the end of the day I'm pretty tired of being on my feet all day but I think I can also attribute that to teaching all day long then having cheerleading. I'm keeping myself active and busy, but not sure how much longer I can keep up this pace!

Week 25 pictures:

Week 26 pictures:

23- 24 Weeks, Nursery Pictures!

These past two weeks have been pretty surreal for this pregnancy. I am definitely showing a round stomach now and Baby Upp is moving and kicking like crazy! We had another ultrasound at 23 weeks to get the rest of the heart measurements they weren't able to get at his 20 week ultrasound because he fell asleep. At this ultrasound he was measuring about 1 lb. 3 oz, heart rate of 154. She double checked his gender and determined that he is definitely a boy! She used the 3D transmitter and was able to get some pretty neat pictures of his face. In these pictures you can actually see his little lips, cheeks, nose, and eyes. It's amazing!

I still feel really good. The sciatica pain in my back is still annoying but it's bearable. By the end of the day I'm pretty exhausted and just need to sit after being on my feet at work all day. Whenever I lay down, within minutes usually, Baby Upp starts moving around and kicking. I have been able to actually see some of his kicks from looking down at my stomach and can see when he moves into a strange position as one side of my stomach will get bigger or stick out in an awkward position. It's so amazing to think this little guy is just going to continue growing in there!

We bought a glider for the nursery the other day. It's a tan microsuede upholstered chair that is on a glider frame so it glides front to back, swivels, etc. It's a great piece of furniture for the nursery. Mom bought us canvas wall prints to hang on the wall that work so well with the bedding and nursery colors. Right now they are sitting on the dresser, but once we paint these will go up on the wall. It's all coming together!

23 Weeks:

24 Weeks:

22 Weeks & Nursery Bedding

I am 22 weeks pregnant!! Only 18 more to go before we meet our son! He has really started moving and kicking a lot this week. I can feel the kicks from both inside and if I put my hand on the outside of my stomach. Aaron will rest his hand on my stomach at night when I lay down and our little guy just starts kicking up a storm. Of course he does this usually when I am laying down to go to bed! He does move around during the day but not as much. I just started feeling a lot of pressure down low. I wonder if it is him moving lower because it feels like a lot of weight pushing really low.

We have another ultrasound scheduled for Friday. At our anatomy scan we had at 19 weeks (when we found out the gender), they were able to get almost all the measurements they needed except a few heart pictures. Baby Upp fell asleep after about 40 minutes of the exam and wouldn't move out of his position so they could get the heart measurements and pictures so we have to go back. I don't mind at all since I get to see my little guy again! I love ultrasounds so we can see him moving around and make sure everything is going well! I am also going to ask them to double check the gender just to make sure it really is a boy before we paint the nursery!

I went shopping with my mom to look at bedding sets for the nursery and found a set I just love! We bought it and have already set it up in the nursery. It looks great!

Aaron and I continue to talk about names. We have a few options but nothing is decided yet.

Nursery Pictures:

22 Weeks :

21 Weeks

We are more than halfway to meeting our son! Baby Upp is moving around a lot more. I can feel it throughout the day and when I lay down in bed at night he kicks quite a bit before I fall asleep. I can usually feel it from the outside too but sometimes I feel it inside without feeling it on my stomach. Aaron felt a kick today! I still feel great! Just tired :)

Week 21 pictures:

20 weeks

Well, I think I finally "popped." My stomach is officially a baby bump. I am wearing mostly maternity clothes, still wearing some of my regular dresses, skirts and sometimes shirts but definitely not pants. I went back to work and am keeping up with my needy first graders. Surprisingly, I am no more tired than I usually am the first couple weeks back to school. First graders are exhausting but I was worried about being especially exhausted due to pregnancy however I am feeling great. I really have no complaints! My feet are tired by the end of the day, but I think they always are :) No new symptoms and actually most of my other symptoms have gone away - no more headaches, haven't had round ligament pain in a while. I am only having the occasional sciatica pain and backaches. I'm hoping things continue this way. Loving this pregnancy!

Week 20 pictures:

19 Weeks

One more week until I'm "halfway there." I definitely have a baby bump now that feels like it's getting bigger each day. It's becoming more and more defined as a bump. I know see what people meant when they said tall people take longer to show, because everyone else I know that has been pregnant already had a clear bump at this point. No new symptoms. I am still feeling very fortunate to have been blessed with a great pregnancy so far. I could not have asked for a better pregnancy. I really have not had many symptoms, no sickness, just some exhaustion and minor aches and pains (back, sciatic nerve, round ligament pain). Nothing too uncomfortable.

At 19 1/2 weeks, I felt the first movement. I was laying in bed and felt a thumping feeling. I have actually felt this before, a couple days prior and then a few days prior to that and considered it may be the baby but I wasn't sure. It happened so quick and so infrequently I didn't really know what to attribute it to. Laying down when I felt it was so amazing. It was a little thump and then happened again a few seconds later and again. The next morning Aaron had his hand on my stomach and it happened again (I felt it internally right away) and he actually felt it on the outside too! It is so amazing to feel our little baby moving in there!!

Week 19 Pictures: