[1461]

Time flies.  I know I say this every year when I do our anniversary post, but wow! I can't believe we have been married 4 years.  And just like normal, it has been a crazy, jam packed year. This year we didn't do much celebrating, since there isn't much you can do on strict bed rest!  We did part of our online birthing class and J cooked steaks.  These days, that is all the excitement we want!

4 years ago!

June 2012

Switzerland, June 2012

Switzerland, June 2012

Switzerland, June 2012

Switzerland, June 2012

Easter, 2013

May 2013

What we've done in the past year (seems like it always involves a move!)

- Tybee Island and Savannah with J's family

- Switzerland!!!

- Marion lived with us for the summer

- Worked on the house (painting, decorating, etc)

- Myrtle Beach 

- Durham Bulls game

- J got a new job in Atlanta

- J started his job, I interviewed for and was offered a job, and we found out we were pregnant all in the same week! 

- Prepped our house for sale and closed on it in less than 2 months on the market

- I traveled back and forth to Atlanta A LOT

- Caitlin graduated from WKU

- Exploring Atlanta and the area 

- Chattanooga and trip back to NC :)

- Babymoon!

- Tu wanted out early, resulting in a 3 week hospital stay

- Marion graduated from State

- I finished my Master's!

- Bed. Rest.

What a list, right?! I couldn't imagine doing that list with anyone else though. :)
 Here's to another 60ish years!

[32]

Coming to you from Casa de Morrow!

32 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of a jicama
 

Weight: +13 (down 3.5 pounds since I went to the hospital; 4 of that is baby!)

Craving: Anything sweet that I can't eat! Especially sour gummy worms!

Maternity Clothes: PJs from here on out pretty much, except when I have guests, then I put on maternity clothes :)

Sleep: First night at home last night was GREAT! Even if I have to wake up at 2 AM to take my medicine

Aversions: Still ground meat.

Gender prediction: We are both thinking boy.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July the baby is born!

Labor signs: I am sure  I am having contractions, but I don't feel them.  The last few times they monitored me at the hospital, I didn't have any.

Belly Button in or out: Partially in/out

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling: Pretty good; my hips are sore from laying on my side so much, but I gotta do it for the baby!

 

Looking Forward to:  Having food not from the hospital

Movement: Baby doesn't sleep much, that's all I know!

Development: Tu is plumping up!

Next Appointment: Appointments with regular doctor and specialist May 29 (34 weeks)

_________________________________________________

So excited to be home! I am on strict be rest (can get up to eat, shower and go to the bathroom, but that's it).  After they adjusted my medicine over the weekend, the monitors didn't pick up any contractions, so that's exciting.  Baby is still in the same position and I haven't progressed any.  We are hoping to keep it that way for the next two weeks.  I am still on medicine for now, and we will re-evaluate that at my next appointment.

[31]

So excited we made it another week!

 

31 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of 4 navel oraanges
 

Weight: +?? Haven't been weighed since I got to the hospital

Craving: Anything sweet that I can't eat! Especially sour gummy worms!

Maternity Clothes: Hospital gown with pj pants.

Sleep: I got them to drop the 4 AM vital signs check, so now I at least get a 6 hour stretch with no interruptions.

Aversions: Still ground meat.

Gender prediction: We are both thinking boy.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July!

Labor signs: I am having contractions, but I don't feel them.  They aren't regular either, so the doctors aren't too worried.

Belly Button in or out: Partially in/out

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling: I got to go outside today for the first time in two weeks, so pretty good! They also let me have pizza today. :)

 

Looking Forward to:  Hopefully going home next week if I am still stable.

Movement: Constant!  The nurses have a hard time keeping the baby's heart rate pinned down.

Development: Tu can move his/her head from side to side

Next Appointment: Meet with a Dr. and specialist everyday.  I will have another ultrasound either Tuesday or Wednesday.

_________________________________________________

[30]

I feel like I look much smaller than 2 weeks ago!  My fluid levels have gone down 7 cm since I got to the hospital a week ago, so I am sure that explains it! (My fluid levels are still higher than normal though.)

 

  

30 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of a butternut squash.
 

Weight: + 16.5lbs (~3 of that is baby) but haven't weighed myself since coming to the hospital.

Craving: Anything sweet that I can't eat!

Maternity Clothes: Hospital gown with pj pants.

Sleep:Would be a lot better/easier if they wouldn't check on me every four hours.

Aversions: Still ground meat.

Gender prediction: We are both thinking boy.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July!

Labor signs: Contractions...etc.

Belly Button in or out: Partially in/out

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling: Pretty good considering the circumstances.

 
 

Looking Forward to:  Hopefully making it to 34 weeks.

Movement: Constant!  The nurses have a hard time keeping the baby's heart rate pinned down.

Development: Tu's eyesight is continuing to develop.

Next Appointment: Meet with a Dr. and specialist everyday.

_________________________________________________

I've been stable so far in the hospital, but I'll be here for at least 2 more weeks since the Dr.'s want me to make it to 32. 

[29] + Surprise!

Most people who read this already know what's been going on, but I want to document it for my own selfish reasons. :)

Last Tuesday (April 23) I didn't feel 100% and thought maybe I had a UTI.  I went into the doctor's office and got some medicine.  However, Wednesday, I still wasn't feeling right.  I called the doctor again and they asked me to come in ASAP.  I went in and they hurried me back pretty quickly.  The midwife checked me and said I was in labor and would be going next door to L&D. Whew!  Who knew I was walking around in labor?!  I called J, my mom, and Christi (my co-teacher) to let them know what was going on.  Mom headed this way and J left work.  Christi came to the hospital to stay with me until J got there.  It was all pretty much a blur, and the medicine they put me on sure didn't help things!

After almost two days on magnesium, they took me off and hoped that my contractions would not start again.  Hope wasn't enough and I started the first round of medicine (72 hours).  After the first couple of doses, it worked pretty well.  I was also more coherent now, so I remember some things the doctors said... like I thought you were going to have the baby Friday, or I am surprised you are still pregnant.  They also explained why this happened, which I was glad to know, even if there was nothing I could do about it.  GD can cause high levels of amniotic fluid, which apparently I had.  The doctor said my uterus was so full of it, my body thought I had reached term and began labor.  One of the medicines I was on was supposed to reduce the amount of fluid I have.  But no wonder people kept commenting on how big I looked- my body even thought I was full term!

Since Saturday, I have been stable and the doctors are thrilled that I am still here and that we don't have a baby in NICU.  I can shower everyday now and get myself out of bed, but I am still pretty limited on my activities.  I can sit up now though, so that is great! Laying down all the time is tiring!  We still aren't sure if the baby will come early or how the medicine will work, but the doctors are cautiously optimistic and there has even been talk of me going home sometime this week!

So no belly picture for this week, but I feel certain it is smaller than last week since I have less fluid!  :)  If all goes well, I will have a picture for weeks 30- at least 36.

[28]

Whew! I look much bigger than 2 weeks ago! Baby's growing!

28 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of a Chinese cabbage (yes, I had to google it, too!)
 

Weight: + 18lbs (~2.5 of that is baby!!!)

Craving: Anything sweet, since I know I can't eat it! And of course, there are new cereals I want to try, but can't (Cinnamon Roll Crunch and Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Apple Jacks just to name a couple)

Maternity Clothes: Pants- of course, shirts- been a mix of regular and maternity this past week

Sleep: It's hit or miss lately.  I did discover a new way to position my Snoogle that is much more comfortable, so hopefully I will sleep better for the next week or so.

Aversions: ....Ground Meat (really wish this would go away!)

Gender prediction: I am thinking boy, J is conflicted.. he may be leaning boy now.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July!

Labor signs: No

Belly Button in or out: Mostly in, but there is a small spot on the right that is poking out.  Looks weird, for sure!

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling: Uncomfortable!  Sitting on the couch has proven difficult lately, as I just cannot find a good way to sit/lay.  Standing or laying in bed (with Snoogle) are pretty much the only two places I can be somewhat comfy.  I guess I am reaching that point for sure now!

Looking Forward to:  Seeing Tu Friday!

Movement: All the time!  I haven't been feeling strong kicks, but I think I am feeling knees move around. Quite an interesting feeling.

Development: Tu has eyelashes now!

Next Appointment: Specialist- tomorrow! Regular- April 25

_________________________________________________

Babymoon!

Warning: Lots of pictures! (You have been warned.)

We left last Tuesday night after J got off work and flew to Fort Lauderdale.  We arrived early (yay!) and picked up our rental car.  They asked if we wanted a Hyundai Elantra or a VW Jetta..... no brainer!  We took off in our Jetta for our hotel, which I booked on Priceline.  We woke up the next morning, had a quick breakfast and were off to Shark Valley!

The drive took longer than we planned, but we made it! There was a lot of construction on the two lane road through the Everglades, so that slowed us down.

Shark Valley has a 15 mile loop you can bike or walk... or take the tram. My advice: TAKE THE TRAM! Not sure why I thought it was a good idea for my almost-7-month-pregnant self to ride a bike... I made it almost 5 miles before deciding to turn around.  My knee wasn't bothering me, it wasn't so much that it was hard... but my butt has never hurt so bad.  (It hurt for 2 days afterward!) So take the tram!  

We did see lots of wildlife up close.  I never anticipated seeing so many alligators up close.  It was really neat!  Then we headed out to lunch (gator nuggets and Mahi Mahi) before finding an airboat ride.  This was really fun!  I have a video I will upload at some point, but here are the pictures from the airboat ride.

We saw a gator and some raccoons, but that was it.  Riding through the mangroves was fun though!

After the airboat ride, we went to our hotel and swam before heading out to supper.  There were 6 places to choose from. 6. We ended up at a decent place and had salad and steamed shrimp. The view was nice, too!

Day 2

We had planned to go to Key Largo, but our boat ride there was canceled due to high winds, so we ended up exploring Big Cypress Preserve and going to Naples.  We took a scenic drive through the Preserve (27 miles on a dirt road) before heading to Naples for lunch.  We have never seen so many gators... we weren't expecting to see so many.  I am pretty sure we saw hundreds! Pictures along the drive:

After we finally found the main road again, we were off to Naples.  We ate at a cute restaurant where I had some amazing fish tacos (which I would later regret because I had terrible heartburn!).  We walked to the beach and enjoyed the beach for a bit before heading back.  It was a gorgeous day!

Day 3

I didn't get a phone call about our boat trip, so we were off to Key Largo!  The drive was just over two hours, but again, lots of construction on the road getting out of the Everglades.  We stopped for lunch in Key Largo before finding our boat.  It was a 45 minute ride out to the reef.  Once we arrived at the reef, we pretty much drifted around the roof. And the water was choppy. J almost got sick and I didn't feel so great, but it was neat to see and beautiful!

Barracuda!

 

We enjoyed the ride back in and were thankfully for solid ground!  We drove back to our hotel and had a quick swim before passing out for the night!

Last Day

Nothing remarkable really.  It rained and stormed.  We were on a dirt road when it was REALLY bad, but we made it out alive!  We tried to go see an area where there were manatees, but we didn't stay long since it was raining.  We are pretty sure we saw the ripples from one even if we didn't see an actual manatee.  Then, we drove to Miami, which was nothing special in our minds. After that, we went to Hollywood to the Hark Rock Casino to kill time until our flight.  We ate and played a few games, but it is rather boring really!   We headed to the airport early and just sat around until our flight.  We made it home safely, but exhausted.  We are glad to have gone, but nothing was so great we see ourselves going back.  Think we have seen all the Everglades and Keys have to offer... but we will go back to the beach!  It was a nice getaway before baby arrives at just the perfect time.

[27] and GD

This week's picture is from Naples, Florida!

27 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of a head of cauliflower

Weight: + ? lbs (I haven't weighed myself since we have been on vacation)

Craving: Nothing lately, although I do love me some chicken tenders!

Maternity Clothes: Pants- duh, shirts- been a mix of regular and maternity this past week

Sleep: Not too bad... been a little restless lately and hard to find a comfy position.

Aversions: ....Ground Meat (really wish this would go away!)

Gender prediction: I am thinking boy, J is conflicted.. he may be leaning boy now.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July!

Labor signs: No

Belly Button in or out: In, but getting shallower.  It is definitely a weird shape, too.

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling:  I have still had some Braxton Hicks this week and I have had to use the bathroom a lot.

Looking Forward to:  Seeing Tu Friday!

Movement: All the time!  And I have been feeling it in different parts of my belly, so I guess Tu is growing!  The kicks are definitely getting stronger!

Development: Can open and close eyes this week!

Next Appointment:  I found out this week that I have gestational diabetes, so I have an appointment with a specialist Friday, April 19.  I will get an ultrasound though! I will have two f0llow ups the next week (I think) and will be monitored almost every week (again, I think).  Next OB appointment is April 25.
_________________________________________________

Soundtrack

Pretty sure Tu takes this song to heart every 45 minutes or so!

We're in the Everglades, so I'll be updating when we get back!

[26]

We took the picture pretty quickly because it is FREEZING in our apartment, so excuse the so-so picture. I wasn't willing to try to get a better one!
 

26 weeks~

________________________________________________________________________

Tu is the size of a head of lettuce

Weight: +17 lbs (~ 2 lbs of that is baby! also, this is a guess as I have been forgetting to weigh myself lately! I am sure the sweet overload lately has put on a couple of pounds!)

Craving: Nothing lately, although I do love me some chicken tenders!

Maternity Clothes: Pants- duh, shirts- been a mix of regular and maternity this past week

Sleep: Not too bad... been a little restless lately and hard to find a comfy position.

Aversions: ....Ground Meat (really wish this would go away!)

Gender prediction: I am thinking boy, J is conflicted.. he may be leaning boy now.

Name(s): Picked and will be a secret until July!

Labor signs: No

Belly Button in or out: In, but getting shallower.  It is definitely a weird shape, too.

Wedding rings on or off: On 

Feeling:  I started having a few Braxton Hicks on Friday and had several throughout the weekend, but haven't really noticed any since then.  Maybe it was all the traveling!  But in general, I still feel good!

Looking Forward to: Spring Break!!! Starts Friday at 2:25!

Movement: All the time!  And I have been feeling it in different parts of my belly, so I guess Tu is growing!  The kicks are definitely getting stronger

Development: Air sacs are developing

Next Appointment: April 25, then I start appointments every 2 weeks!
_________________________________________________

I heard back from the doctor that I failed the glucose screening.  So on Monday I have the three hour test... yuck! 
Also, next week the post will be late as we will be in Florida :)

Easter

We had a great, but short, trip to KY this past weekend.  We went on sugar overload with three different kinds of cake! I also got lots of baby stuff from my cousins.  I love borrowing stuff instead of buying it!  I also found the cutest outfits for a little girl just in case Tu is a girl.  They will be sweet coming home outfits.  I need to be on the lookout for a couple of cute boy outfits!

Hope you had a great Easter!