Welcome to the world Amelia Roselynn!

Meet Amelia Roselynn!  Amelia was welcomed into this world in the wee hours of the morning on December 17, 2014 at 3:44am.  She was 8lbs 1.1oz and 21 inches long.  The nurses immediately laid her on mommy's chest and she wailed and screamed for a long time!  In fact, we haven't heard her cry like that since she was born.  She was a very healthy baby.  She is our everything!  Amelia's first name was chosen as a favorite by mommy and daddy and her middle name is named after her grandmothers - Grandma Rose and Nana Deanna Lynn.  She is very lucky to be named after such wonderful women and her own grandmothers.

If you are interested in hearing our birth story, here it is.  Ryan and I went to our appointment on Monday, December 15.  We started out with a non-stress test that went well and then went to the exam room to see my physician.  My physician came in after about 20 minutes to tell us that she had just been talking to the OB department at the hospital and that we could go in to be induced either that night or the next night!  To say the least, we were very surprised and weren't expecting her to tell us that!  She told us that because I continued to have gestational hypertension (higher blood pressure) that she thought it was a good idea that I was induced now instead of risking becoming pre-eclamptic (very high blood pressure and other concerns).

Ryan and I decided to schedule our induction for that night, I mean, why wait around, right?  We went home for a couple of hours to gather any remaining things and ate supper and headed back to St. Louis Park to... HAVE A BABY!  Before we left the house, I kissed Ryan and told him that when we return to our house, it won't be just us anymore.  We will be a family!  It is safe to say that I was freaking out a little bit on the way to the hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 7pm and once they finally got everything ready to go (5 IV sticks later...) at about 11pm, I received my first dose of cytotec that helps to dilate the cervix because I was still only about a fingertip to 1cm dilated.  I didn't really make any progress and I received another dose at 3am and 11am.  During this time I was hooked up to the monitor and I was having contractions, but they weren't that strong.  At about 1:30pm the doctor came to check if I had dilated anymore.  She said that if I hadn't dilated much more that she was going to use a foley catheter balloon to insert into my cervix to help dilate it.  I wasn't very excited about that so luckily when she checked me, I was 3 cm dilated!  Yay!  She immediately broke my water.  Woa.  That was weird.  It definitely felt like a warm gush of fluid and when I got up a little later, it just kept gushing. 

It is safe to say that breaking my water got the party started.  Except it didn't really feel like a party.  It felt horrible.  The contractions immediately became super intense and painful.  The only thing I could do to help the pain even a little bit was to stand up.  Laying in bed was awful.  I just remember laying there bawling and crying out for my mommy.  Yes, I still do that.  Now to think I'm a mommy!  Crazy.  I sat and rocked on the ball quite a bit too, but still didn't touch the pain.  I kept putting off getting the epidural because I still wasn't really progressing that much and I was afraid that getting the epidural would make it worse.  Ryan was very helpful throughout all of this and rubbed my back, got me water, and said very encouraging words.  I am very thankful for him.

I kept going with the contractions and around 5:30pm my sister-in-law Rachelle showed up.  We had always planned on her coming for the labor.  She is an OB nurse and would be very helpful for me as well as Ryan.  Ryan has a history of severe vasovagal syncope (he passes out watching people in pain, sight of blood, sight of injury, etc.) and we were worried that if it ended up that he could no longer be in the room or if something happened, there wouldn't be anyone there for me.  Having Rachelle there was indispensable and not really because of Ryan because he did wonderful and had no issues, but because she was so helpful when I really didn't know what to do.  She gave me wonderful advice and helped me make decisions.  She is very knowledgeable about OB related things and I valued her opinions more than the nurses at the hospital.  She was great company for Ryan during the long labor and she was so encouraging and helpful to me as I pushed.  I think one of the reasons that my pushing stage of labor went so well was because of her.  I will never be able to thank her enough for being there for us.  Someday it will be neat to share with Amelia that her Auntie Rachelle was there too and helped her enter this world.  Thank you Rachelle. We love you.

So sometime around 6pm or so I couldn't take the pain anymore and instead of doing the epidural yet (because I still hadn't dilated much more), I decided to try a small dose of fentanyl.  I was nervous because I didn't want to get zonked out from it, but I don't think it really touched my pain.  Although Rachelle thinks it did make me sleep a little bit.  I'll take her word over mine at this point.  :)  Around 7:30 or so, I had enough.  I was dilated to 4cm and I wanted the epidural.  Rachelle made a really good point that for some people it doesn't stall their labor, but it relaxes them and helps them progress.  Let's do it!  I was miserable. 

Finally at 8:45pm they got the epidural placed, which was no walk in the park either.  But... instant relief!  Why had I not done this earlier!?  The only problem I had with the epidural was that my left side was A LOT more numb than my right.  I still couldn't feel on my right side, but my left was like a brick.  It was a really weird feeling.  Whatever, I didn't have the pain like I did before!  Within an hour after receiving the epidural I had progressed to 6cm dilated and by 2 hours after that I was complete.  It is safe to say that the epidural was what I needed and it relaxed me so that I was able to become fully dilated.  The nurse had me labor down for the last hour and at about 1:30 we started with the pushing.

I was so scared to start pushing because I didn't know what was going to happen and I was scared I was going to "rip."  I was so excited though.  I couldn't believe that I was this close to holding my new baby!  The epidural I had was perfect because I could still feel when I was having a contraction, but they weren't painful.  I always knew when it was time to push again because I could feel the contractions starting.  I pushed for about 2 hours and it all went so much better than I thought it would.  Towards the end of my pushing the doctor told me that she could see that she had so much hair that I could put it in pony tails already.  I started crying.  It wasn't long and she was in my arms.  My experience was really good and my nurse was great along with Rachelle and Ryan too.  Both of them were so encouraging and helpful.  Ryan did great!

Amelia Roselynn made her appearance at 3:44am.  She had quite a bit of a cone head that was gone within hours after birth.  Her right ear was flapped over and her right eye was pretty swollen, but she was very healthy!  She had a full head of dark hair and adorable chubby cheeks with a very defined chin.  They immediately placed her on my chest and that is where she stayed for about 2 hours.  We did our first nursing during that time too. 

Since then things have been going very well.  Amelia is officially 3 weeks old today and I can hardly believe it.  I remember bawling the day she turned 5 days old.  Where has time gone?  We are loving every minute with her. 

When we first left the hospital she was diagnosed with neonatal jaundice.  She had to wear a bili-blanket for four days and a nurse would come to our house every day to check her weight and take her blood to have her bilirubin level monitored.  We also had to supplement with formula using the syringe and finger method (because I didn't want to introduce a bottle) because one of the ways of getting the bilirubin level lowered is by literally pooping it out.  The more she ate, the more she would poop.  My milk hadn't come in yet so she needed formula as a supplement.  Her bilirubin peaked on day 4 at 17.6 and by her 1 week appointment had gone down to less than 8.  When she first left the hospital, her level was right on the border of normal/abnormal and had the pediatrician not prescribed the bili-blanket and supplementation right away, it is likely that she would have ended up in the hospital a day or two later.  It was hard having her constantly hooked up to the machine even though we could still hold her, it just wasn't very easy.  Ryan and I put it in perspective for each other and said that things could be much worse.  We are fortunate and thankful that there wasn't more to it.

Many people have asked how breastfeeding is going.  It is going very well.  I think they started me out very well at the hospital by doing lots of skin to skin and breastfeeding right away in that first hour after birth.  Believe me, there was many episodes of crying from both me and Amelia and wondering if we would ever get it to work right.  I remember having the feeling that I was inadequate as her mother because she was looking to me to feed her and it wasn't always working well.  Ryan was so helpful throughout it all and always helped to calm me and Amelia so that we could make it work.  He would tell me, "She is only [2] days old, she doesn't know it yet either."  Throughout the process we have figured out that she will absolutely NOT feed if she has to burp or has a dirty diaper.  Many, many tears were shed, but now I can say that it is going so well and it is so so worth it.  It really is a lot of work and there has been a lot of times that I think it would be SO much easier to just give her a bottle - or have Ryan give her a bottle!  But that is not what we want for her at this point.  The hospital also had me start pumping after my second nursing session and I have been pumping ever since.  At first we would just syringe feed her the colostrum that I would pump in the hospital and upon returning home, but soon after we were able to start storing it.  We have quite the supply frozen already (about 75 ounces) and in the last two days I have started to make a lot more with each pumping session (and I pump between every feeding).  We will be set!

Ryan makes fun of me because I might be paranoid about every little thing ("Is green poop normal?"  "Do you think she is sick?"  "We should take her temperature."  "Is she eating enough?"  "Her feet are cold."  "She has a diaper rash."), but I really only want what is best for her.  I just love her so much and I don't want anything to happen to her.  I want to be a good mom and I hope and pray that I am doing okay and I will continue to.  Becoming a mother puts things in a whole new perspective.  She is three weeks old and I already look at some things so differently.  Love is a powerful thing!

This has been quite a long post, but I will leave you with some photos of what Amelia has been up to these last three weeks.  We sure love her.  Enjoy! 

I met my Papa and Nana within hours after being born! 

And my Grandma Rose too! 

I was excited to leave the hospital and see my new home!  

I had to wear this thing for 4 whole days, but I didn't really mind it at all.  

My cousin Alaina was VERY excited to meet me.  She even asked if she could pet me! 

I love my daddy so much.  

This was my first trip to Target at 3 days old.  I've been there 3 times since! 

 

 Meeting my Grandpa Randy and Grandma Julie.

Since I was born at Christmas time, we had to go see Santa.  I might not like him next year. 

This is how I love to lay with daddy. 

My first sponge bath.  I wasn't really a fan this time.  

 

Just hanging out with my daddy.  It is what I do best.  

 

Mommy and Daddy say I was the best Christmas present ever.  

I even got to meet my Great Grandma Violet. 

4 generations.  

Christmas at 8 days old is a breeze!  Next year I will want to open my own presents though! 

Hanging out with Papa is the best! 

Mommy tells me she loves me ALL the time.  

I am always so content.  My daddy is a pro at this.  

Look at all my Christmas presents!  As soon as I can get out of this chair, I am going to play with them! 

I thoroughly enjoyed my second sponge bath.  Let's do this again!

Like my outfit?!  Mommy says I'm pretty! 

SO BIG!  

I am showing off my first big smile!  I just don't know it.  

Mommy loves when I make this face.  

This was my first time doing tummy time.  I don't mind it!

This is where I sleep every night.  Right next to my mommy.  

Doctor's appointments = Snoozefest.  Like my hat?  Sometimes it covers my eyes and my mommy freaks out.  

My daddy thought this was pretty funny.  I'm so chill. 

Better get a picture with mommy.  She is the one always taking photos.  

Out to eat for New Year's Eve!  The fajitas were good.  

 

This is how my daddy and I celebrated the new year.  Snoozefest. 

 

 Happy New Year!  I am 2 weeks old.  

 Seriously mommy?!

 I like my play gym.  I can grab my rings and my rattle! 

 Just chillaxin in my bouncy seat.  

 Milk coma in mommy's arms.  

 Nap time.  Somebody tucked my arms in?! 

My first bath in my tub!  I really enjoyed it and then fell asleep afterwards -- see above pic!  

 Tummy time!! I'm so strong!  

 My last time in newborn diapers at 3 weeks old.  My mommy could hardly believe it.  

These fools put socks on my hands! 

40 weeks

Well, we have made it past 40 weeks!  Yesterday, 12/13/14 was our due date and Baby Girl did not feel the need to show up!  We think she is taking after her Auntie and taking her sweet time!  :) 

Overall, I am feeling pretty good.  Not going to lie though... I am getting uncomfortable.  Because of my blood pressure issues last week, I had two appointments this week.  On Monday I had an appointment with just my physician and didn't have to do an NST or labs.  My blood pressure was still fairly high, but not as high as it had been last Thursday.  Before she checked me she talking about stripping my membranes if I was dilated over 1cm.  No such luck!  I was 75% effaced, but still not dilated over 1cm. 

On Thursday I had another appointment.  I woke up Thursday morning with a headache and it didn't go away for a couple of hours.  I didn't have any other symptoms, so I didn't call in.  Before my appointment with my physician I had another non-stress test.  My blood pressure was still running a little high.  I went to my appointment with my physician and the first thing that she told me is that I am having contractions every 3 minutes!  What?!  No clue.  Apparently they are secret contractions because I don't feel them!  She said it looked just like I was in labor, but if I was the nurses probably would have told her!  The plan again was to strip my membranes if I was over 1cm dilated, but again, I wasn't.  By the end of my appointment my physician decided it was best to take me out of work.  Her exact words, "Start your maternity leave!"  What!?  I don't even have a baby to cuddle with!  I know it is best for me though.  After my appointment I had labs drawn which were all normal.  My doctor was hoping that I would go into labor this weekend.  Well, it is 7:30 on Sunday night and no such luck!  She will arrive when she pleases!

So here we are, not so patiently waiting for her to arrive! It is safe to say that we have tried many things to try and make her come, but nothing has worked so far!  I've been doing squats, we went for a mile long walk yesterday, we've done the same thing that got her in there, and last night we went to Bdubs for spicy wings.  Apparently I have made a good home for her! 

When I've told people that I have to stay home from work they made comments like, "You can get all of baby's stuff ready!"   "You can clean your house!"  "You can go Christmas shopping!"  "You can make Christmas treats!"  Seriously.  This is all done.  Do you know me not at all?  On Friday I completed my pregnancy scrapbook, laundry, and cleaned up the house some more.  Even though I had already done some holiday baking, this weekend I made peanut butter balls, ritz peanut butter cookies, and another batch of rolo pretzels.  We went to the church Christmas program this morning, played some Wii, took a nap, and I even wrapped my sister-in-law's Christmas presents.  Not because she asked me, but because I need stuff to do!!  If you know me at all, you know that I always need something to do.  Right now it is in overdrive.  I hope I don't have to go the entire week just waiting or I may go stir crazy! 

We have another appointment tomorrow and Ryan is going to come with.  We will see what happens!  We are hoping that she arrives soon!  We are getting so excited to meet her, but with each passing day we know it is going to be SO worth the wait when we can hold her in our arms.  Pray for a safe and healthy labor and delivery and a healthy baby girl.  Thank you!  Stay tuned!

39 weeks

Today marks 39 weeks and 1 day!  Not long to go and we will have made it the full 40 weeks.  Each day we wonder if it is the day that she will arrive.  We are so excited to meet her.  Over the past few days I have become so anxious because I can't wait to see her and hold her. 

Today I did laundry and cleaned the bathrooms.  Ryan cleaned the shower and we decided to go out and get groceries and a final Christmas present.  We talked about how we are just "waiting" now for it to happen.  I just wish I knew when she was going to arrive!  Maybe I am just too excited to meet her.  :) 

I had my weekly appointment at 1pm on Thursday that did not go as well as planned.  My blood pressure was running high at 147/92 at the beginning of the appointment and then 145/94 at the end of the appointment.  It was quite a difference for me since my entire pregnancy I had been consistently running in the 120's/80's.  My provider was quite alarmed since at 39 weeks pregnant you don't want to be messing around with preeclampisa.  I confided in my provider that I had just been upset by something and had been in tears before my appointment and it had to be the reason for the increase in blood pressure.  In any case, I appreciate my provider for not messing around.  She ordered urine and blood labs and I had to have a non-stress test to make sure everything was okay. 

Baby is measuring just as she should.  She is very low in my pelvis which explains all of the pressure that I am having - sometimes very painful.  My provider is able to touch her head and she even pushed up on her head a little and I could feel baby move up and down in my tummy.  It was weird!  But it was to prove that she is in fact, right there.  As of Thursday, I was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated.  It is a start! My non-stress test went very well.  They hooked me up to the monitors and I was able to listen to baby's heart rate for about 20 minutes.  She sounds great and she was very busy while we were monitoring her.  The non-stress test came out well and all my labs were normal.  My blood pressure at the end of the test had come down a little to 137/85.  In any case, the issue bought me another appointment tomorrow morning before my regularly scheduled weekly appointment on Thursday.  I am just thankful Baby Girl is okay.

39 weeks, 1 day

Overall, I have to say that I am feeling well.  I know others have felt much worse at this time, so I can't complain.  I feel large.  She is way down in my pelvis and I definitely waddle now.  I have so much pressure between my legs and my thighs.  When I stand up the pressure is so heavy.  I am very slow walking even though the breathing is much better than it used to be!  I have no swelling.  Ever since my appointment on Thursday I  have been having occasional Braxton Hicks contractions and starting yesterday I have been having some period-like cramping and low back pain.  Who knows, it could still be awhile before she arrives!  She is still being a busy girl in my tummy.  I feel her move all the time and occasionally feel her hiccup.  Her butt seems to sit up near my left side and lots of times she makes my tummy look lopsided!  :)  I keep telling Ryan that I will miss those movements, but I'll love holding her in my arms of course.  I love her so much already. 

As excited as I am for her to arrive, I am so scared too.  Is it just me or did anyone else go into motherhood feeling like they don't know anything?  It is such a huge responsibility and I don't want to mess it up.  Some people make it look so easy and like they never make mistakes, but I'm not going to lie -- I will make mistakes and I am scared. 

This has been my fear since the beginning of my pregnancy, well since forever.  She is not just my baby and responsibility now, she is my baby and responsibility forever.  Every day matters.  There is so much you need to teach your children and so much that you need to model for them.  Sometimes I wonder if I am even capable of that.  I look at my parents and how wonderful they are and I look at my sister and her husband and how great they are with Alaina.  I want to be the same great parent, but I know it won't always be easy and I am praying for guidance all of the time. 

Above all else, I want our daughter to know how much we love her.  I'll never be able to give her enough hugs and kisses and I'll never be able to tell her too many times how much I love her.  I love that I am 28 years old and my parents still hug Ryan and I every time they see us and tell us they love us.  I may not always be the greatest mother out there, but I do hope that my child always knows how much she is loved and cared for. 

I'll leave you with some inspiring quotes about being a mother.  As scared as I may be - I've dreamed of it my entire life. 

38 weeks... winding down!

We have now made it to 38 weeks and the thought that she could arrive anytime now is crazy!  I think about it and it scares me just a little bit, but I am so excited too.  Ryan is just plain excited.  He wants her to come tomorrow. :)   I would like her to arrive sometime between December 10-15 and would really like if it was on her actual due date of 12/13, but she will arrive when she pleases!  In any case, she needs to keep cooking right now. 

My last appointment took place last Tuesday and it went well.  Blood pressure is still right on track, baby sounds great, and she is measuring how she is supposed to.  I lost almost 2 pounds since my last visit making my total weight gain only 15 pounds.  I am hoping to come out of this pregnancy gaining less than 20 pounds!  The doctor said I very well could as you don't tend to gain much more at this point in the game.  It was confirmed by a quick ultrasound that baby girl is in fact head down.  I am not dilated or effaced yet, but the doctor was able to feel her head right there.  Things could change at any moment.  My next appointment isn't until Thursday, so we will see what happens! 

Ryan and I were able to make it down to Rochester on Wednesday to see my mom after her brain surgery.  I am so thankful that baby girl hadn't arrived yet or didn't think she needed to arrive while we were there!  My mom's surgery went as well as it could go!  She had an MRI two days after surgery that came back showing that the entire tumor was removed.  She is doing very well and was discharged to home from Mayo today.  We are SO SO SO proud of her.  The courage and braveness that you have to have to go through something like this is outrageous -- and she has it!  I had a little freak out moment in the shower yesterday thinking about labor and being scared and I immediately stopped and thought, "What do I have to be afraid of?!  Look what mom just went through!"  She is an inspiration.  She is my hero.  I love you mom!  Now baby girl just needs to give her at least a week or so to rest up so that she can meet her when she arrives! 

37 weeks in front of mom and dad's Christmas tree!

Overall, I am feeling pretty good.  I am really starting to slow down and things like putting on my shoes, bending over, rolling over, getting up out of chairs and out of bed, etc. are getting harder by the day.  On Thanksgiving night I got out of the shower to find that my feet were swollen for the first time!  Yikes!  I hadn't even been standing on them all day!  Turns out that those dorky socks that I have been wearing everyday work!  I hadn't worn them for two days and it showed!  I am sleeping well at night despite having to get up 3-4 times to pee.  I fall back to sleep very easily.  I also have issues with reflux during the night and have to take at least one Tums every night.  Ryan is a little annoyed with me because my snoring has gotten progressively worse the further along I have gotten in the pregnancy.  Sorry dear!  

Baby moves all of the time and lots of the time I need to lean back so that she has more room!  She is all up in my business, but I am sure she thinks I am not giving her enough room!  I keep telling Ryan it will be so weird when she isn't in my belly anymore.  I am so used to all her movements and jabs.  It is such a wonderful feeling.  I even feel her hiccups at least once a day.  So exciting!  

 

Now a little bit about this guy!  I can't even begin to say how wonderful he is.  Many of you know how overwhelming being pregnant can be sometimes and he has made it so much easier.  I am so thankful for all the wonderful things he has done and how helpful he has been getting ready for this beautiful baby girl.  Over the course of this pregnancy we have painted 3 rooms in our house, laid hardwood flooring, changed light fixtures and water faucets, among many other things and the work he has put in has been phenomenal.  Early in the fall we deep cleaned our entire house and HE helped me.  Some of his guy friends told him he was crazy for doing it.  I told him he was exceptional.  The baby's room looks the way it does because of him!  He put up Christmas lights outside for me and helped me put up my Christmas tree.  He has put together all of baby's gear and attended 5 childbirth classes with me.  He has comforted me when I've been scared (especially with all of my mom's stuff) and he has told me that I am going to be a good mom when I doubt myself.  I am so thankful for him and I am so excited to see him with our new baby girl.  If you know Ryan and how good he is with kids, you know that he is going to be an excellent father.  My baby girl is going to be so lucky, just like me. I can't thank you enough Ryan.  I love you!  

 38 weeks in front of our Christmas tree! 

Stay tuned for updates!  It is hard to believe she could make her appearance any day.  Please continue to send prayers for my mom.  She has a long recovery ahead of her and needs to take it day by day.  If she is anything like me, she has a hard time taking it easy and that is what she needs to do!  Also pray that we have a safe labor and delivery with a very healthy baby.  Thank you so much! 

 

36 weeks - Nursery is officially finished!

Here I am, 3 days into 36 weeks.  Woa!  I can say that this weekend we were able to get officially ready for baby to arrive!  Mentally?  Not so sure!  I am super excited, but I am scared as well.  It will be here before we know it!

Friday night and Saturday afternoon was spent finishing up the shopping for baby's remaining items that were needed as well as last minute household items that we may need so that we are all stocked up.  I did mention to Ryan that after a day of being home from the hospital, I am sure there will be a few things that we still need!  We closed out our registries at Babies R Us and Target and were able to get some great deals on things. 

We spent Sunday putting together any of baby's gear that still needed to be put together, dusting and vacuuming the house, putting away baby's goodies, and getting the car seat put in my car.  Our bags are packed, freezer meals are made, sheets are washed, baby's room is complete, and our Christmas tree is even up!  We did that yesterday too.  We are officially ready for baby girl to arrive, but we would like her to stay in there and keep cooking until at least December 10 or so!  :)  We'll see if she listens.  I have had some talks with her.  :) 

Here are the much awaited photos of her room. 

 

Ryan was so patient and put all of the frames and wall hangings on the wall.  I can't thank him enough for all the help and work he did to get ready for baby.  He is going to be a wonderful daddy.  The wall hanging with nothing in it will have her birth stats on it with a photo of her inside.  And obviously the frames will have photos of her and us in them!  That beautiful quilt was made by my mom.  I love it.  

Ryan did such a wonderful job making her closet functional.  It used to be just one shelf and a bar and he made it into that!  Her closet and dresser is already full!  And you can't see it, but the entire right corner of the closet is FULL of diapers!  The wall hangings on the right side were made by my Aunt Peggy and has the "I'll Love You Forever" quote on one of them.  The rocking chair was mine as a child from my grandpa and grandma Niemeier.  The "You are My Sunshine" sign special to me because my mom always used to sing it to me and over the past 3 weeks, I have been singing it to Baby Girl a few times on the way to work everyday.  

Again, thanks to Ryan for putting everything on the walls!  I am totally taking credit for putting the diaper genie together though!! Pretty proud of myself. :)  The musical bear on the very top shelf was mine as a baby and it shows it too!  This room has the electrical box in it and our friend Brandon made us that very nice cupboard door to hide it.  We even put up a radiant heater to give her room a little more temperature control.  

 

 

Thanks to my wonderful friend Andrea for the pink sign that has the Bible verse, "For this child we have prayed and God has granted what we asked of him."  I teared up when I opened it and it really means a lot to me.  I made the other two.  The one on the right has the quote "Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue.  And the dreams you dare to dream, really do come true."  She is our rainbow baby and I can't wait to meet her.  

 

So here I am at 36 weeks.  I am still feeling really good.  I am feeling lots of soreness in my upper thighs and just a "full" feeling.  My appointment last week went great.  No swelling.  Blood pressure is great.  Baby is head down and sounds good.  No dilation or effacement yet.  

Please continue to pray for my mom and pray that baby girl doesn't make her appearance until into December.  I am determined to make it to Rochester for mom's surgery next week.  I am beyond bummed that I won't be able to stay with my mother and take care of her after her surgery and I know that she feels the same way about not being able to stay with us and the baby right away.  I am so thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives who have volunteered to stay with her and take care of her after this very extensive surgery.  We will never be able to thank you enough.  Again, I can't wait to see Baby Girl in her Nana's arms.  Love you so much mom!  

 And I'll leave you with a photo of our spoiled cat.  He knows something is up and he is not too sure about it.  :) 

35 weeks!

When we first found out we were pregnant, it seemed that it would take forever to get to 35 weeks!!  Here we are!  The time has gone by so fast. 

I have still been feeling very good this week!  On Monday I picked up some jobst stockings at work, dorky I know.  My feet aren't swelling (yet), but at the end of the day at work my feet would start to ache a little bit.  They have definitely been helping! 

On Tuesday, Ryan and I ventured out into the beautiful sunshine and wind and took our maternity photos.  We are looking forward to seeing them!  It was kind of ironic.  The day we took our engagement photos it was very windy, our wedding day was slightly windy, and the day we took our maternity photos was very windy too!  Oh well, I know they will turn out great.  :) 

I spent Saturday morning for a couple hours making freezer meals.  I was able to get 3 meals completed and into the fridge!  I am planning on doing another 3-4 meals today as well. 

I am also finishing up getting baby girl's room all in order so that I can post some photos.  Last weekend we finished putting a couple more things up on the walls and I had another shower yesterday, so I am working on putting all that stuff away.  As well as packing baby girl's diaper bag for the hospital.  I also found a really cute wood crate thing at Michaels and Ryan is spray painting it for me.  I am going to put her name on it using my Silhouette Cameo and I am going to use it to hold all the rest of baby girl's books that do not fit under her night stand.  She has a ton and I am loving it!  She is going to love books! :)

 

35 weeks!!! 

On Saturday my sister threw me a wonderful shower with my great friends.  It was a lot of fun to just sit and visit with my friends.  We each brought a snack that we craved during pregnancy or that time of the month.  I brought pickles!  :)  It was such a fun time and I am so thankful for such wonderful friends.  Thanks to all of you!  

Aren't they a great group!  Love them!  

 

The Andreas ... Tall One and Short One! :) 

 

And my beautiful sister! I Love you so much! 

Things have been going so wonderful with this pregnancy.  We are so blessed.  Baby Girl is moving around all the time and we are getting closer and closer each day to meeting her.  We are getting very excited for her arrival, but before that time comes, our family is preparing baby girl's Nana for a major surgery.  This week we found out that my mom will undergo brain surgery to remove a benign tumor that is partially wrapped around her left optic nerve.  The surgery will take place at Mayo on Wednesday, November 26 - the day before Thanksgiving.  If I could ask for anything, it is prayers.  Please send your prayers for my mom and our family.  I have faith that God will take care of her and this Thanksgiving we will have SO SO much to be thankful for.  I'm looking forward to the day I get to see Baby Girl in Nana's arms.  

Stay tuned for an update next week!!  This week I start weekly OB appointments and on Thursday, exactly one month from Baby Girl's due date, Ryan and I are going to the Garth Brooks concert!  I've heard it is a good time.  :)  Thanks for your prayers!