One More Month

With the month countdown ticking, I am starting to feel very pregnant. I am not horribly uncomfortable, but I definitely feel large and immobile these days. My biggest complaint is having to spend so much time inside during the summer in my dark cave-like house. I get up early and walk Eros before the heat sets in so I get a little sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, but then it is back to the cave for the rest of the day. I keep all the blinds closed and lights off to keep things as cool as possible. I am also starting to feel Braxton Hicks contractions much more frequently these days. They don’t necessarily hurt, but they are a bit uncomfortable. I am trying to embrace each one because it means my body is preparing itself for real labor which is a good thing.

We had our 36 week doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. The good news is that baby is in the correct position for a vaginal birth so I am very happy about that, and praying that he continues to stay that way till he is ready to enter the world. The doctor also said after feeling my belly, that if she had to guess she felt like Kyle was currently 6 lbs which is right on track for an average size baby. We were also sent up to Labor and Delivery to have baby Kyle and I’s heart rates monitored for 20mins because Kyle’s heart rate was a little on the high side when she checked it on the Doppler. It is normal for babies heart rates to spike up, but they wanted to make sure it would eventually go back down and that he was not in distress. So I got myself hooked up to the fetal heart rate monitor and got to listen to baby Kyle’s heart beat for a full 20mins, while I was a bit nervous to have to be sent up for monitoring, it was neat to hear him beating around in my belly, and after a few minutes of sitting in the chair and drinking lots of water his heart rate was back to normal. I had been working a fundraiser for the Army out in the sun most of the morning prior to my appointment and probably did not drink as much water as I should have been, which is what the doctors said contributed to higher than usual heart rate. So, lesson learned, pregnant women need to drink A LOT of water in the summer and stay out of the heat as much as possible. I thought I was doing a good job of staying hydrated, but now you won’t find me without my giant hospital grade water bottle strapped to my arm. My next appointment is in two weeks for my 38 week appointment and then I go every week after that until he is born.

The doctor told us we should also make sure we have everything prepared for his arrival, because really the baby could come any day now. I packed my bag for the hospital last night and Matt installed the car seat so I think we are ready to go should he decide to make an early arrival. However, I keep telling him he needs to keep baking for a few more weeks. Matt and I decided that if he comes early he will have his father’s personality and if he comes right on time, he will have his mothers. Luckily neither one of us tend to be late people so let's hope he does not decide to pick up that trait. We will just have to wait and see…

Nesting and Fathers Day

All the baby gear we got from the baby shower last week put me into nesting overdrive. I hate clutter and piles of boxes lying around the house (whenever we move we usually have our house completely unpacked in 1-2 days) so I was itching to start getting the nursery ready. I washed all baby Kyle's 0-3 month clothes and folded them neatly in his drawers, organized all the diaper changing and bathing essentials on his changing table, built our stroller, and neatly organized his closet with all the other baby items we received. We still have to hang pictures, pick out a rocking chair, and install the car seat, but I would say that if Baby Kyle were to happen to come today we would pretty much be ready for him. I still have two more weeks until I am considered full-term and three more till my due date so we have plenty of time, but it feels good knowing that I am organized and ready to welcome out little guy into the world. I will post photos of the nursery on the blog once I get all the pictures hung in the next few weeks.

When I start to think about how close I am to the end I get a mix of excited and anxious emotions. I am beyond excited to meet the little man and get rid of this giant belly. However, I am also a bit nervous about becoming a mom. I hope I am good at it! I have very little experience with newborn babies so I will pretty much be learning by trial and error…hopefully I don’t make too many errors. Luckily, I have a great support system of family and new mom friends that I can ask for help. I am assuming that being a new parent is a lot like starting a new job. You feel awkward and unprepared at first, but every day it gets a little easier, and before you know it you have things pretty well figured out.

Well, before I sign off, I wanted to wish a Happy Fathers Day to all the dad’s in my life. I know I am a few days late, but these men deserve a shout out for all they have done for me over the years. Thanks Dad, Jeff, and Mike for being great role models and family providers. I am so thankful to have each of you in my life and I can’t wait for Baby Kyle to meet his Grandpas. Grandpa Bill will teach him the art of remodeling and handy man skills and ensure he keeps up on his math homework, Grandpa Jeff will give him a love for music and teach him how to sing and play the guitar, and Grandpa Mike will teach him how to play sports and understand the ins and outs of the games of baseball and football. I also have to wish a Happy Fathers Day to my wonderful husband. While he is not yet a father to a human baby, he is an amazing dad to our furbaby, Eros, and I know he is going to be an amazing father to Kyle! Baby Kyle can’t wait to go on adventures with his dad and learn all that he has to share about living a healthy, happy, fulfilled life. HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Showered With Love

It is not too often that you have the opportunity to spend an afternoon with all the people in the world who are most special to you. My sister, mom, mother-in-law, and great friend Nadia threw me an amazing baby shower with delicious food and great company this past Saturday! I am still in awe of everyone’s generosity! We got almost everything we need to welcome baby Kyle into the world. He sure is one lucky baby to have so many amazing people in his life. My mom took tons of pictures but I did not get them from her camera before I left to head back down to the Springs so I am going to have to post some pictures from the event in another post. THANK YOU to everyone who attended, especially those who traveled a long way to be there. It meant so much to me to have everyone there to celebrate with me.

Now our nursery is filled with bags and boxes of gifts that I need to sit down and organize. The nesting instinct is starting to kick-in and I can’t wait to start finding a home for all the gifts we got. I love organizing! Having all this baby gear is also making Baby Kyle’s arrival all that more real. For some reason when I pulled the car seat out of the box yesterday, it really hit me that I am going to have a little baby sitting in there in less than 6 weeks! It seems almost surreal to me at times. I have no idea what being a parent is going to be like, but I can’t wait to find out.

At 34 weeks, I am still feeling pretty good. I am starting to feel the baby put pressure on my bladder, especially when I sleep. I probably get up about 4 times a night to go to the bathroom. I am trying to do some “belly mapping” to determine what position he is in. I am pretty sure he is head down with his legs up. I can feel kicks in my ribs, but I also feel movement in the lower part of my uterus, so maybe that is his arms. I think his back and butt are hanging out on the right side of my belly right now because that side of my stomach is much harder than the other side. There is still lots of time for him to move around so I am not getting to stressed about his position just yet, I am just more curious than anything. I also finally bought some Tums the other day at the grocery store and have not had heartburn/indigestion since…at least I will be prepared if it creeps up again in the next few weeks. Well, that is pretty much all I have for this week. Thanks again to everyone for your generous gifts, I can’t wait to put them to use!

Hot Hot Hot

We have all heard the phrase “bun in the oven” when referring to pregnancy. Well, with the heat wave we had this weekend; I really do feel like my belly is an oven! I have to admit that the heat is already getting to me and it is only the first week of June! We reached 98 degree temps this weekend and I am hot! Luckily, we have A/C in our house, but the insulation is not amazing and I don’t feel like it keeps all that cool, especially when it gets this hot. Matt and I invested in a fan over the weekend for our bedroom and that has helped with sleeping, but I have yet to feel really cool since the temperature started rising. I found myself actually enjoying my weekly trip to the grocery store because it was so nice and cold inside! I usually hate how cold the grocery store is and find myself brining in a jacket so I don’t freeze. It is an odd experience being so warm all the time since I am such a cold person usually. Next time around I should shoot for a winter baby. I could use this extra body heat in the winter to keep me warm :)

Well, that is enough complaining from me. As I enter into this last month and a half of pregnancy, and the discomforts start creeping up, I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be carrying a healthy baby in my belly. The miracle of giving the gift of life is not something every woman can do, and I am so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to carry this baby. When I think about it from that perspective, the discomforts of the third trimester hardly seem worth complaining about.

Martha Stewart

While I enjoy cooking and crafting, I am no Martha Stewart. I only cook using recipes and follow them to a tee, and crafts have to be very simple and straightforward. You will see no hand sewn items coming from this house; however, I would not mind learning how to use a sewing machine. I would love to make a quilt one day. My grandma Margret and Meersman aunts are great quilters and sewers and sadly the gene did not get passed down, or maybe it has just been untapped all these years, anyway, I digress. I have wanted to make something special for Kyle’s nursery and while I was in Michaels the other day I found the perfect project, painting the letters that spell Kyle’s name. The wooden letters came pre-cut and primed, so all I had to do was buy the paint to paint them. While I was in the paint isle, I stumbled upon already cut and painted animals that I could glue on the letters once they were painted. This craft was getting easier and cuter by the minute!

Matt and I spent this past Memorial Day weekend in Baggs, WY with his sister and brother-in-law who were in town visiting extended family on the ranch. Since riding horses and branding calves was not in the cards for this pregnant lady, I decided it would be a good opportunity to paint my letters. It was as easy as I had envisioned it and I am pleased with the end result. I can’t wait to hang them in his room, let’s just hope we have a Kyle in there and not a Kyleigh :).

The finished product

I also had my 32week doctor’s appointment yesterday and thankfully baby Kyle and I are still growing along right on schedule with no issues. I think I had my first "braxton hicks" contraction over the weekend. I thought it might have just been Kyle moving, causing my stomach to tighten, but after talking to my doctor about it, I am pretty sure it was a contraction. She said now would be the time I would be feeling them, and that they were a good thing because it means my uterus knows how to contract. She says it is good practice for the real deal in less than two months. We have our next doctor’s appointment in 4 more weeks and then we start going every week after that until he arrives. I can’t wait to meet him!