the waiting game

here we are...4 days away from our due date...and still no signs that Sierra is ready to make her appearance

this is such a test in patience and trust in God's timing! i know that's good for us, but it's tough! i think the past few weeks have been harder because at the beginning of the month our doctor said it looked like i would go into labor early and wasn't likely to make it to my due date. so we all set our expectations for that and were as ready as we could be. however, every week since she said that we have received the opposite news - no dilation, no effacement, no signs...not going to happen this week.

yes, the doctor was wrong! can you believe it?! :)

so now we keep waiting. she could still come at any point, but it's just looking like if it were up to her, she would stay in there a few weeks late. most doctor's don't recommend waiting that long. so we've been given a tentative induction date of october 5, which really is just about a week away!

we'll see if she decides to come on her own before then...either way, we'll get to see her, hold her, kiss and squeeze her soooon!!! CAN'T WAIT!!!!

the lovely kankles

so yesterday I made a new discovery...I am definitely sporting the famous pregnancy kankles. yes, my ankles are swollen and awkward. it's lovely :) i secretly thought i had slipped by without them since I hadn't had swelling yet, but nope - they have made an appearance...I'll spare you the pictures though since they're not so pretty :)

...and I think that Sierra has dropped.

we're getting closer and closer! the dr. predicts that she will come early...could it be tomorrow? next week? ...ahhh, the suspense!!

we can't wait to meet her!

some of the normal daily activities that are becoming more and more difficult as the belly continues to grow outward... !

* getting in and out of the car and not hitting my belly hard on the steering wheel
* turning around to see out the back window when i'm backing up - not so easy to twist around anymore
* washing dishes! the height of the sink is at just the wrong height - it hits me right in the middle of my belly, so i have to either stand on my tiptoes or turn sideways to wash dishes!
* brushing my teeth and leaning over far enough so that i spit in the sink and not on my belly - especially in the mornings when i'm half asleep :)
* getting in and out of public bathroom stalls - why do they leave such little room to get it and close the door?!!

it's all worth it in the end! ...on with the adventure...40 more days!!!

the growing belly

so i guess when you're pregnant you're supposed to document the growth of your belly with pictures. i like to think about it as documenting the growth of the baby, not so much the belly...but since you can't see the baby, the belly shots are all you get (it seems a little less weird that way!).

anyway, for those who are interested, here is a series of the growing baby/belly...i'll post the ones where you don't actually see any skin so it's less graphic...

she has a name!!!

Our sweet little bun in the oven finally has a name! ...well, only a first name so far, but that's a BIG step from none at all! We are still working through a lot of middle name options to choose the right one, but we thought we'd start spreading the word that her name is...





... Sierra ! There you have it! We picked it mostly just because we like it :)
Once she has a middle name, we'll let you know.

...and that was me a week ago - growing and growing...

Move over!

I have loved getting to feel this little girl move around so much! It makes all of this seem all the more real...except still very surreal at the same time.

There has been a definite progression of baby movements - from the first tiny flutters to stronger kicks to stretching and rolling. It's funny because when I haven't felt her move in a little while I will try to encourage a little kicking - drinking something sweet, poking or rubbing the belly, asking her to kick for mommy, etc. It's just all so ironic, because I'm sure one day when she's a toddler she will really be kicking mommy and then I'll have to tell her "no, we don't kick people." ...I hope she doesn't remember all these times in the belly when I've asked her to kick me! ...poor thing will be so confused :)

The way I describe her movements now is almost like she's nudging me saying "hey, move over a little bit...I don't have enough room on this side", as she stretches out some body part and holds it there for a few seconds (distorting the shape of my belly). It's really cute. I'm sure it's getting quite cramped in there! I'm also now experiencing those kicks and movements that actually hurt just a little bit - I can't really figure out what she's doing or why it feels so uncomfortable, but I'm sure it all goes back to the very tight quarters!!

I'm loving it though!! Even as I type, I'm watching this bulge move from one side to the other!

...oh yeah, and she's starting to get the hiccups pretty frequently...poor little thing!!

Here is a picture of the BEAUTIFUL bedding that my mom made!!!!!!!!!!

A sweet surprise

A couple of weeks ago, I had to have the glucose screening at my doctor's appointment. It's routine for everyone at a certain week of pregnancy to see if you have developed Gestational Diabetes. They make you drink this orange sugar drink and then take your blood (and urine) an hour afterwards to see what your glucose levels read. If they are higher than 140, you can to go back for the full 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test.

Well, my levels were 150 - ugh. The nurse said it was so slightly over that she didn't think I actually had Gestational Diabetes, but that I was required to take the GTT since I was over 140. I was really bummed. I knew that if I had it, I would just have to alter my diet and prick my finger to monitor my blood sugar - which really is not that big of a deal; it's not harmful to the baby if you monitor it well. BUT...it would mean no sugar!!!!!!!! It's not that I even eat that many sweets because the salty stuff has been more of what I've craved. But to not be able to have any at all for 2 months just seemed devestating at the time.

Long story short, I was at the doctor's office for almost 4 hours - had to drink another orange drink and have my blood/urine taken once an hour for 3 hours...and my results are normal!!! I don't have the diabetes!!!! They called me at work on Thursday to give me the good news and I was thrilled :)

...the sweetest surprise...Kyle ordered Tiff's Treats cookies (delivered freshly baked and warm!) and my favorite ice cream to my office that same afternoon for me to celebrate!!! It was scrumptious! ...and he definitely won some points with my co-workers :)

I'm so thankful for a healthy baby, no Gest. Diab., and my sweet and wonderful husband!