Baby update

I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and she did my Group B Strep test. I don't really know what that is, but I had to undress from the waist down and I'll have my results in a week. She offered to check me yesterday and of course I was really curious to see if I had made any progress, and sure enough! I'm "at least 2 cm dilated" and she could feel his head. She also said my cervix is pretty soft, although I'm not sure what that means. Haha, can you tell I'm a first-time-mom? She did not check to see how big he was but I'm figuring he is between 6.5 and 7 lbs, according to my last ultrasound and baby's "average" weight gain.

Speaking of weight gain, since I have cut way down on the sugar I only gained 1lb in the last two weeks, compared to the 3lbs I gained the week before. I am up to a grand total of 37lbs so far and I hope I can keep it under 40lbs by the time he is born. I know everyone is different, and I had a really rough month in there (Thanksgiving to Christmas) which made my weight skyrocket. My midwife seems very pleased and not at all concerned about it, though, which makes me feel good about it. I've been very active the past few days (hence the dilation?) and feeling great, overall. I'm exhausted by the end of the day usually, but I haven't had as much swelling in my feet/hands, and the heartburn is subsiding for the most part.

Thank you for the continued prayers. One thing that has really been weighing heavy on our hearts has been how we are going to raise a Godly child. Neither Jason nor I were raised in a Christian home, and while my parents are Christians now, I can't really get any pointers from them on how to raise young children to love God. We have some other couples we can use as examples, but we are just praying that God gives us the wisdom and the strength to do what is best for our little boy and guide him to Jesus. As scripture says, "Train up you children in the ways of the Lord and when they are old they will not depart from it." We are confident in that promise and trust that God will take care of him.

More updates to come as things progress!

4 weeks left

Yesterday was April 8, meaning I had one month left to make it to my due date. That is crazy! As of tomorrow I have exactly 4 weeks to make it to my due date. It feels like just yesterday (ok, maybe last week) that I was finding out I was pregnant and then going to my doctor's appointment. How can I be so close already? And I'll admit that it has been a little hard to focus at school recently. It doesn't help that it has been 2 straight weeks of testing for my kids, which means I have a lot of down time where I just have to monitor them and not teach, so my mind was free to wander at will. And trust me, it was wandering like crazy. I spent a lot of time working on sub plans this last couple of weeks and I actually have 4 weeks of them completed. I am only required to have two weeks for my long-term sub, but I needed to have something planned in case I went into labor early because my sub has another obligation that week so I don't know who would be in my class that week. Then, I made a week's worth of "emergency" plans for if I am out sick or something. If those don't get used up then my sub can use them the last week of school. I'm glad I was so productive but now I can spend time thinking about other things that need to get done before the baby comes (laundry washed and put away, bed made, closet finished, etc.). Hopefully being back on a normal schedule will help me focus and be distracted, rather than obsessing over this upcoming change.

Not only that, but it is very possible I will have to find another job for next year. There is a pretty serious budget cut here which means my school has to get rid of several teachers. Seeing as I am at the bottom of the seniority list, that means more than one or two people have to either retire or transfer for me to be able to stay there. I want to stay, of course, but I know there is nothing I can do about it so I am just leaving it in God's hands and trying not to think about it too much. I have faith that He will place me exactly where I need to be, as He has done with my last couple of jobs. Prayers are appreciated!

Counting Down

We are smack dab in the middle of state testing right now and it is getting old quickly. I want to get back to teaching! My students are doing great, though, and are working really hard during EVERY test. If only it didn't take 2.5 weeks to finish the darn thing. Anyway, I thought time was going by really slowly, but I just realized that I have basically 5 weeks left and then I will be done with the year and get to spend time with my baby boy! I can't believe how close it really is. I think it is really going to hit me when my colleague goes on maternity leave starting next Friday, because I know I am only 4 weeks behind her. CRAZY!!

I spent the evening organizing all the gifts from my first two showers. I had a shower yesterday at work (with this same girl I work with) and I hadn't gotten around to organizing the stuff from my Lubbock shower. It felt good to get the room in order a little because I know there will be tons more presents coming this weekend. I have both family showers this weekend and I can't wait to see everyone, especially those who I haven't seen much since becoming pregnant. It is going to be tons of fun. I wish EVERYONE I loved and cared for could be at my showers, but I know that is not possible, so I guess they will just have to be with me in spirit.

Prayers would continue to be appreciated for Jason, me, and the baby. We are getting so close and are starting to get a little nervous. Not to mention I am getting much more uncomfortable these days. (Oh, and I have to completely cut out all processed carbs and sugar... long story short- I have an "infection" of sorts and my midwife said this will really help. I hope so because it certainly is a sacrifice for me! I admit that I love my sugar and my carbs...)

Lubbock baby shower pictures!

Here they are! I can't possibly put all of them up, but here are the best ones. Thanks to Rachel and Joni for throwing the most wonderful, special shower for me. I don't have words to express my appreciation! And thanks to everyone who made it, it was a very special day for me to get to spend celebrating this new life with my nearest and dearest friends.

Shower, traveling, and testing

I had my first baby shower! You'll have to excuse the lack of pictures. My camera has them but I haven't hooked my camera up to my computer for the first time yet, and I'm not sure what all that will take, so I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet. Pictures will be coming, though, I promise! Anywho, this shower was in Lubbock and hosted by my wonderful friends Rachel and Joni. It was a small shower with my dearest friends from Lubbock, although some of them don't even live there and still made the trip up (thanks Sunnie, it was awesome seeing you!). I got some wonderful gifts, but most of all I was able to celebrate the new life inside of me with some of the people that are closest to my heart. My mom and grandmother were even able to make the trip. (My mom happened to be in Lubbock anyway that day, traveling back from visiting my grandparents, and my grandma wanted to come so she drove 3.5 hours each way just for the shower. I love her!) It was so special and I'm so glad I got to spend that time with my nearest and dearest friends.

Yes, Lubbock, TX was our destination. It wasn't the most exciting drive, and I had to stop every hour to go to the bathroom. Aah, the unsung joys of pregnancy. Going out there wasn't bad at all, except for the stopping all the time. Coming back, however, was pretty much torture. I was miserable in the car. If I had been thinking I would have ridden with my parents in their RV, as they were going back at the same time as we were, but I thought I could handle it. WRONG!! I mean, I made it, but I whined and moaned and complained the whole time. I guess my traveling days are over until this little guy comes and no longer puts unnecessary pressure on random nerves and muscles.

This week is the start of the state test here in NM. My kids are all really nervous, and since this is their first experience with this test, they don't really know what to expect. Say a little prayer for them if you think about it today! I am confident they will all do OK, but I'm not sure they are so confident. Gotta love testing time, right? Two weeks of pure testing, coupled with stress and weird schedules. Aah...

Baby shower #1

Jason and I are in TX for our first baby shower this weekend! My fabulous friends Rachel and Joni are throwing it for me and I can't wait to get to celebrate our little guy with all these friends that I haven't seen in months, or longer. I got a sneak peak at the decorations yesterday and they are SO CUTE!! I wish I was that creative. I'm really looking forward to the shower, and it really has nothing to do with the gifts. Getting to be around so many friends during this joyous time in our lives means so much, and I hope I remember to take good pictures so I can show little man how much everyone cared for him, even before he was born.

The ultrasound I had the other day went fine. He was 4lbs 6oz, heartrate 132, and everything looked good. I'm so relieved! I haven't had any more bleeding, thankfully, and feel great. The only new thing for me is the swelling. My fingers and feet have started swelling at random times during the day. I hear that the best way to combat this is to drink a TON of water, but unfortunately I seriously dislike water, and it takes all the will power I have to drink a glass every now and then. I guess I am either going to have to get over it or be OK with being swollen all the time. Ugh. I'm also noticing my face getting a little more "plump" which I'm not happy about. Jason claims it isn't too bad, but it is still frustrating to not be able to control where the weight (or swelling?) goes...

We have a name picked out for our little one, but stay tuned until May to find out what it is!

Slightly Nervous

I have had some bleeding yesterday and today, and as far as I can tell it is nothing to really worry about, but the midwife on-call said she is going to have me go in for an ultrasound to get checked out. She said it is not an emergency but because it has happened twice then she wants us to be sure. I'm trying really hard not to freak out about it, but it isn't really all that easy. Now I have all these things running through my head-

What if I go into labor? (That would be insane since I haven't even turned in my paperwork to HR yet about maternity leave, or talked to a sub)
Is the baby ok?
Am I ok?
Will I still be able to go to lunch with a friend today?
Will I still get to have my massage tomorrow?
Will I still be able to go to Lubbock this weekend?? (I think so, but it is still a thought I've had...)
Is the baby going to come much earlier than we thought, even if it is not "now"?
What is going on if both the baby and I are fine?
What is my midwife going to say at my appointment on Wednesday?

So yeah, I am a little bit of a nervous wreck, even though I'm not really worried about the baby because I still feel him moving around and everything. I haven't had any contractions that I know of, and no pain that is unusual (my back always hurts these days). I'm going to call the clinic in about an hour and make an appointment for an ultrasound, then take it from there. Jason and I prayed for the baby and me this morning and I feel better since then, but it is hard to come to terms with all of these feelings and thoughts running around inside my brain.

I appreciate any and all prayers. I know God is in control of this and that He has a plan for my life and my son's life, and whatever that means at the moment I don't know. God has never let me down, ever, and I know He will not start now. Thanks in advance for the prayers! Have a blessed day.