37 Week update!

Here we are, 3 weeks and counting! Actually, I won't lie, I'm REALLY counting the fact that I only have 10 more work days :)  And then I will really start counting down baby's arrival.  Of course I'm more excited about him being here then being off work...but you get it, right?!
(sorry, no picture this week.  But trust me, I've gotten bigger!)

At 37 weeks, yup, I'm going to finally believe what thebump.com has to say!  He is the size of a watermelon! They say he has reached full term measuring around 18.9 and 20.9 inches and weighing 6.2 to 9.2 pounds.  He is still developing brain cells and growing and maturing.  These last few weeks are very crucial to his development and we need him to stay in there until AT LEAST 39 weeks.  As much as I would like him out now, I think it's best he keeps bakin'!

We had our 37 week appointment today and everything is good.  Measuring very close to where I should be.  Hubby asked the Doctor if he thought we were going to have a big baby or not.  Doctor said, please don't quote me, but I will say he will be around 7lbs 12oz.  He said it could be less, but he will say for sure that we are not having a 5 pounder!  We did learn that I lost 3 pounds in the last week, which we are contributing to water weight.  My feet and legs were pretty swollen in the last 2 weeks and that has all gone down.  Also, we are making progress!  We are at a 2.  Any progress is good to me :)

We had a little bit of a hiccup this past weekend.  I've been having pains in my upper abdomine.  They would come and go and they weren't all that severe during the week.  Come the weekend, I tried to sleep, but it wasn't happening.  I was exhausted and finally broke down.  I woke hubby up crying at about 4:30 Sunday morning.  He knew I meant business when I was crying because I don't usually do that.  So, we put on some clothes and headed to the hospital.  They took me straight upstairs to the baby floor and hooked me up to the monitors.  Of course, they first want to make sure baby is okay.  Heartbeat and activity were good, so they move on to mom.  They found nothing wrong except one blood pressure check that was a little high.  They took blood and my platelets were a little low, but nothing to be concerned about.  The doctor released me after 7 hours.  I went home without answers and a week full of appointments. 

I went in Monday for an ultrasound of my spleen, kidneys, and gallbladder.  And also lab work.  Results all came back normal.  Doctor said as long as Tylneol is working, we will keep doing that.  Until he hears from me saying that I need more drugs, he will leave it at that.  Because his thought is that it's the gallbladder and there's nothing they can do until after baby is born.  And the pain may just go away after pregnancy too.  But, I learned that if my platelets are below 100 when I go into labor and I want an epidural, it's not going to happen.  So now, that is a concern of mine.  I am going to be eating my spinach to get those platelets up!  You just never know when you might need that shot of drugs in labor!

A smoky week

Hubby spent a better part of this week fighting fires.  On Monday, they were called out to offer mutual aide to another fire department.  This fire claimed 1000-2000 acres and a farmstead of an old farmer.  This was a sad loss since the farm had been in this family for many years.  He was left with the clothes he had on, his pickup, and a tractor.  That is a hard loss to swallow for anyone.  The guys got back to the hall about 8:30 that night just in time to eat some supper, clean up trucks, and get home to their families.  Hubby had to miss our 3rd child birth class due to this fire, but that was more important at the time. 

Then, on Wednesday, about 4:15pm, the guys were called out to a fire west of town.  The other rural fire department had already been called out, but it was too big for them to handle.  After spending a good 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to the flames through the rough terrain, they started the long battle.  Because of creeks and railroad tracks and valley's they struggled with the getting to the fire.  After being out there for about an hour, they had to call for more mutual aide.  Two other rural departments were called out because the guys couldn't keep up with water.  They fought this fire, keeping it from jumping both lanes of the interstate and taking on any farmsteads or other structures, for a good 5 hours before making any real progress.  The ladies auxiliary supplied the guys with chicken for supper and more beverages to keep them hydrated.  This was going to be a long night!  I talked to hubby at about 10:00pm and he said half of the guys were going to stay out there until 3 to watch it and keep putting on water, and then switch at 3.  Hubby came in the house about 3:30am lookin' like he hadn't showered in a month! After a quick shower, all he wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for a good 5 hours and then get up and go into work late.  Considering he had been up since 4:30am the previous morning, worked a 10 hour day and fought a hot fire for hours, I thought he deserved more then 5 hours.

The other group of guys all came back to the hall at about 8am to refuel and clean trucks.  But, they were called out to the fire again at about 10 that morning.  The wind and heat didn't help the situation.  All we could do was pray for some freak rain shower to dump at anytime, but that obviously didn't happen!  Again, the ladies auxiliary supplied them with lunch and beverages because this was going to be another long haul.  When I got off work, I headed to the fire hall to start making supper for them.  Luckily, the guys were able to come in at about 7 and eat.  They weren't real sure if that was it for the day or if they were going to have to head back out.  But that was it.  Between the two departments, they would check it throughout the night and the next morning.

Being at the hall when they came in was an experience.  They all came in, totally exhausted, not wanting anything else but a chair, some food and probably a shower.  They all drug themselves in and sat down not saying a whole lot, which is not normal for this group of guys.  Finally, they decided it was just time to eat and keep going.  As they were eating, they started sharing stories and experiences from the last two days and they started joking and laughing.  This was the group that I know!  They cleaned their plates, but didn't just sit there.  They knew their duties weren't finished.  They thanked us for the food and headed to the shop to wash and restock trucks and check them over quick for any needed maintenance.  After finishing that and cleaning up the shop, they had a celebratory beer and then headed home to their families who they probably hadn't seen much in the last 2 days. 

What I learned from these guys in those two days is real heroism.  No, they didn't save lives from burning buildings or save a drowning victim.  But they put their families and jobs on hold to sacrifice their lives.  This selflessness really inspired me and made me so proud of these guys.  Volunteers.  They don't get paid for their long hours out there.  And some don't even get paid at work for those days.  Some of them had never gone that long without seeing their kids, but I hope those kids see their dad as a real life hero!  These guys deserve so much respect.  So much more then us ladies on the auxiliary can give them by just keeping them fed and watered and saying a simple thank you for their hard work.  And no matter what they just did to keep a fire from destroying the whole country side, they were so thankful for what us ladies had MADE them.  We heard more thank yous then we deserved for what we did!



My real life hero!



36 Week Update

Minus 4 weeks and counting! 

Baby Boy is the size of a coconut.  Still at a length of 17.2 to 18.7 inches and weighing in between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds.  He is continuing to pack on the pounds and his skin is getting smoother.  His liver and kidneys are completely functioning and he is almost able to completely breathe on his own.  His circulation and immune systems are also good to go. 



Minus make-up, hair pulled back, getting ready for bed...sorry for the scary picture!

 As for mommy, I'm holding in there.  Finally feel pregnant with only 4 weeks to go!  Minor swelling, nausea, and the ol' aches and pains.  Nothing we can't live with though.  And, as of last weeks appointment, Dr says we are are right on for an average first time pregnancy.  I guess that's a good thing!

Highlight of this month: Baby Shower!  We had so many friends and family join me at our house for a quick game, decorating onesies, and a round of opening gifts and eating cake!  I don't have pictures from the day yet, but I will be getting them from my friend soon.  I will post a few then.  But I do have a sneak peek into the amount of gifts we received! And boy, all I can say is we are so blessed with great friends and family!  Baby boy is so loved and he doesn't even know it yet.  We got an array of things, from outfits to blankets, bottles to toys and books, a tub to a bouncer, a cow humidifier to baby monitors!  We couldn't ask for a better life! 

Room one!

A few in the baby room

More in baby room

Quilt: Handcrafted by my mom...Never knew she could do this! But we love it :)

Diaper cake #1...took a long time to put together I'm sure, but just as long to take apart and put away!

Diaper cake #2, all those tiny hair bands wrapped around the diapers...I finally gave up!

Super cute diaper motorcycle!! I didn't want to take it apart!



Fire trucks with balloons tied to them and 1 diaper cake!

  As I said, LOTS of stuff!  And tons of diapers because the of the "man shower."  The guys were instructed to bring diapers as their entrance fee.  We let some of the guys in without them, though!

35 week update

5 more weeks!  Give or take a few days of course.  No matter what day he comes we will be happy...even if it is on Friday the 13th!

At week 35, our little peanut is now the size of a butternut squash!  Weighing in between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds and 17.2 to 18.7 inches in length.  His length probably won't change much in the next 5 weeks, but he will continue to pack on the baby fat.  Which means mom will continue to pack on the weight too!  Other than weight and length, his hearing is now fully developed.  He continues to grow and change as normal!

Baby boy hasn't been causing mom too many problems.  I'm still struggling with the heartburn and normal aches and pains and swelling of pregnancy.  We have another appointment today, so we will see where we measure at this time.  I don't feel like I gained any weight, but we will soon find out!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's day and also our baby showers.  We are super excited to get together with friends and family and celebrate the new life that will soon be in our world.  It couldn't get much better than this! :)

The weather is gorgeous, breaking records left and right.  We are supposed to hit a high of 79 today!  It's only March, so that's a little scary but we also realize that....it's only March!  And that means there is still a large possibility of snow on the Great Plains of North Dakota.  But the farmers are taking advantage of the nice weather by getting farming equipment ready and enjoying the fact that calving season might not be as stressful as it is when the temps are in the single digits! 

Enjoy the weekend and have a green beer for me!  Happy St. Patrick's Day :)

In other news...

We spent the weekend in Duluth, Minnesota doncha know!  This was a quick, unexpected trip for a funeral.  Hubby's great-aunt passed away, so sister-in-law, mother-in-law, hubby and I loaded up in the car and started on the 9 hour drive.  I thought it would be tough and I would be a pain because I would need to stop all the time, but I wasn't the pain.  Baby and I were content being a passenger and stopping when anyone else needed to.  I'm not sure I would travel any later in pregnancy then 35 weeks because it did get a little uncomfortable on the way home due to swollen feet and exhaustion.  But, even though it was travel for a funeral, we did have a good time.

Hubby's family that came for our wedding made the trek to Minnesota also.  We got to spend some time with them, and only a few aunts and uncles were missing, and of course plenty of cousins.  Also a fabulous time when the clan gets together.  They sure know how to celebrate things, whether celebrating marriage or someone's life, they have a good time.  We played dress up with some of Aunt Bunnie's clothes, coats and hats, and shared some good laughs going through all the things in her house. 

After the funeral, we joined up for a little bit of touring the town.  If you have never been to Duluth, I'm not sure you miss a whole lot.  But I can now say I was on the beach at Lake Superior with snow on the ground! 

So after a long weekend of traveling, hubby and I are trying to catch up on our sleep and house work.  It's not working so well since he had things to do Monday night and Tuesday night we had our 2nd child birth class.  The next few days are dedicated to straightening and organizing and cleaning our house because my sister-in-law, good friend, and mom are hosting our baby shower at the house!  And after the baby shower, the ladies are crashing the "man shower" at the farm!  Here's to another long, eventful weekend :)  And beautiful Spring weather!!

33 week update

Week 40 is fast approaching! 

At 33 weeks, baby boy is compared to a honeydew melon.  This means he is weighing between 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measuring between 17.2 to 18.7.  Obviously these are all average measurements and my baby boy could weigh 7 pounds already...which I'm hoping he does not!  But we had an appointment today and doctor says we are measuring just a tish above schedule.  My tummy measurements should about correlate in centimeters with number of weeks we are along.  So today, I should measure about 33 cm.  But I measured at 34.5 cm, up 3cm from our 31 week appointment.  I know this is only 1.5cm over the average, but I am starting to cut back on the junk food.  I don't want a big baby for him sake and mine!  By no means will I cut back on the calories we need, but just start to make healthier choices...like not eating almost an entire bag of popcorn before realizing it! More fruits and veggies for us!

But the higher measurement could mean anything from excessive amount of fluid, baby sitting in an odd position at the time, or even just poor measuring from the doctor.  So we won't be worrying about this unless it becomes a problem. 

Anyway, at 33 weeks, baby boy is continuing his growing and hiccups!  Still practicing his blinking, breathing, sucking, and swallowing.  He is pretty much ready to join the world, but for the sake of his complete health, it's best he stays put for a few more weeks.  Only 3 more weeks and we are considered full-term!  That's a little hard to think about since that's only 3 weeks away and I have so much to cover at work before I head off for 12 or 13 weeks!  He still moves and grooves a lot.  He is starting to keep mom awake at night which in turn keeps dad up, too.  This is just good practice for working off little sleep!

I tried to the the toilet out of the pictures, but I'm usually not aware of my background when I'm taking pictures....oh well!  



(Quick) 32 week update

No picture today...sorry family!  I was in a hurry this morning since Mother Nature decided to let Old Man Winter drop some snow on us like we should have.  Actually, she let it rain, then dropped the temps to freezing, and turned the rain to snow.  Nice sheet of ice on the roads covered in snow.  I do not mind the snow, it's the cold and ice that gets me every year!

Anyway, baby boy is the size of a squash this week.  Weighing in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measuring 15.2 to 16.7 inches.  Not much is changing this week except that his skin should be completely non-transparent!  He is just doing a lot of growing and eating and learning things to help him survive in the "real world."  Oh, and he is probably feeling more cramped since he is growing so much and momma is running out of real estate to expand to! 

I still haven't found that second wind that comes with the second half of pregnancy.  But I have started organizing and throwing things when I have the energy!  This would have happened eventually whether baby was coming or not, though.  Only major things left on my list before he gets here is to re-organize a few cupboards in the kitchen so that I have room for all his bottles and things and to steam clean the carpets after our baby shower, which is at our house.