32 week Appt

So today marks the last of my monthly appointments! Now I get to go every two weeks and then every week! I saw the newest Dr. to the group today, and I really liked her. She highly impressed me when she didn't run out of the room screaming after I whipped out my page of typed questions :). I had tons this time around since I just did my tour and my childbirth class. This was another quick appointment, but she said that everything looked excellent from my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat to my measurements! I also gained only a pound, so I'm getting back on track with this weight gain thing. Other things that came out of the Dr. appt. where that I maintained my anemia which actually is better than what it sounds. Essentially, all women are a bit anemic towards the end of their pregnancy, but I had lower numbers when they did my initial bloodwork. At 28 weeks when I was tested again, if my numbers had dropped, that was a bad sign and that meant that I might have to have a transfusion after delivery. If they remained the same, that was a good sign and that means I am at the normal levels for a pregnant woman in her final trimester. So yay for no transfusion!

My next appointment is in two weeks on February 13 at 8:00 a.m. And, I have less than 4 weeks of being able to go where I please, at 36 weeks, I am officially not allowed to travel outside of Cincinnati.

Belly Dancing

So, I'm not savvy on video editing, but this is a video where I caught a bit of the baby making the belly move. The first big one you see is probably a short case of the hiccups (just before 30 seconds)...keep watching and you see a little bit of him adjusting/stretching/moving it isn't very much movement and all on the left side (between 1:00 and 1:30). I am going to work on getting a better clip in the meantime because when he really gets to moving you can see it much better!

Nursery...Before and Midway

So, the nursery isn't quite done yet, but I wanted to show you the progress. Bret did an amazing job on painting the room. Bret and my dad also did a great job making and hanging the valences while my mom made the curtains. I was there for moral support and picked out the fabric for the padded valences and curtains (which are actually sheets from Target :) )

The Before....

The Empty...
The FIRST paint...

Almost done with painting...

this was Bret admiring his amazing painting talent

Grandpa Wayne and Bret (aka Daddy) working hard on crib assembly

The Changing Table!!!!!

The assembled crib!!!

The Marathon and the Baby's First Cold/Fever

First, CONGRATS to the Disney Half, Full, and Goofy Challenge runners :). From January 9-13, we went on a much needed "vacation" to Walt Disney World. I'm sure that Baby Boy Govert will have many fond memories of his first trip...from the belly. While there, Traci (good friend from college), Phil (brother), my Dad, my Mom, and Laurie (mom's good friend from college) participated in the Disney Half Marathon. I would love to tell you that they all looked fantastic, and I was the picture of a #1 fan. Unfortunately, I can't do that because I used my pregnant brain that functions at 15% on that day, and I didn't realize that the roads closed from 5a.m.-7a.m. SO, when I went to catch a bus to my first cheering spot at 10 til 6, I was out of luck. By the time that Bret and I FINALLY got a bus to go to the finish line, it was just after 7a.m. THEN, the bus driver got lost (SUPER), so we made it to the finish line with enough time to gather Phil, Traci and my dad who had finished quite some time before and watch my Mom and Laurie link hands and cross the finish line with HUGE smiles.

On Sunday, Bret, my Dad and Jeff (dad's friend from high school/college) participated in the Disney Full Marathon. Yes, you did read that correctly, my dad ran the half marathon (13.1 miles) on Saturday and ran the full marathon (26.2 miles) the next day. I was determined to be the #1 fan and not miss a second of Bret's first marathon, so I made all other fans in our group get up around 3:30 a.m. in order to be safely on a bus by 4:30 a.m. They may not like me any more, but we got to see the runners at Mile 1, Mile 9, Mile 13, Mile 22, AND Mile 24. Everyone did a great job and all managed to finish smiling...that may or may not have had something to do with Phil running alongside them for about 400 meters at Mile 24 telling them they could have anything they wanted in 2 short miles...this included beers, wine, kegs, etc. Bret got the running bug and is already thinking about and planning for his next one. First a half marathon in May and then the Chicago full marathon in the fall.

Of course, all of the runners were very cautious about their weakened immune systems after putting their bodies through so much. I decided that I would also like to have a weakened immune system and decided that it would be fun to get sick on the Thursday after we got back. NOT FUN! I ended up with a crazy cold that came with a low grade fever for a few hours on Thursday night. I still sound terrible, but I feel MUCH better.

And of course, I didn't let the crazy cold stop the nursery room decorating weekend. Bret was able to paint the room on Saturday and touch-up/trim on Sunday. Then, my mom and dad came over and brought the CHANGING TABLE! While they were in Cincinnati, I forced my dad and Bret to assemble valences while my mom and I searched for acceptable fabric to pad/cover them and make drapes. So, now we have the room painted, the window treatments complete, the changing table in position, and the crib is assembled!! I will put some of my progress pictures up soon. I LOVE how it looks so far!

28 week appt.

SO, about that weight gain thing. I'm thinking when they said between 20-30 lbs, they weren't taking into account that I would be pregnant over the holidays. I think what they meant was 30-40 lbs for all women pregnant over the holidays. Right now, I have gained a whopping 21 lbs (WHOA...I'm a beast), and I would like to pretend that all 21lbs is in my belly. I guess I just decided to blow that 20-30 lbs out of the water ;). The good news is that I seem to have developed a weight gain pattern. At my 20 week appt, I had gained 6 more pounds. At my 24 week appt, I had only gained 2 more pounds. This appt., I was back at 6 more pounds.

Other news from the appointment, the heartbeat still sounds awesome. He actually kicked twice while we were listening to his heartbeat, and it was pretty cool to actually hear him kick. My belly actually measured for 30 weeks (again, I'm a BEAST), but apparently since I was small to begin with that isn't odd. And, I have completely run out of room for everything to grow and move vertically, so the belly is just going to keep growing bigger and bigger from here on out. My glucose test results weren't in yet, but they were anticipating getting them by today. The Doctor said they would call if the results were abnormal, and if I hadn't heard from them by Monday to assume that I had passed. I'm wondering if they call and I ignore the call if I can still assume (or pretend) that I passed ;). I guess they also tested me for anemia again, and if I my numbers have dropped lower than what they were, I will have to add a few more iron supplements each day.

Also, I was wrong on the every 2 weeks thing. I go to the Doctor in 4 weeks, and THEN I start going at 2 weeks. So, next appointment for 32 weeks is on January 30! Please cross your fingers for a 2 lb weight gain ;).