32 Weeks

Well I missed a week again, it's just so hard to keep up when my photographer lives an hour away! 

I've gotten to the point all mommies talk about. I'm almost always uncomfortable now. Despite that, I absolutely love being pregnant! I love feeling my little one move around, and I'm so grateful to be able to have this experience. I've also gotten to the point where I have to decide if something I've dropped is worth picking up right away, haha. 

Norah seems to get the hiccups A LOT. I can tell she hates them by the way she starts kicking and punching me. I have a feeling once she's born she'll start crying anytime she has hiccups. Speaking of which, she has hiccups at this very moment! Haha. 

This week I learned I have gestational diabetes. I was really upset when I found out, even cried a little bit. But after I received great support from people, and heard about their experience with it, I felt much better. I'm mainly just worried that I will have to fight to have the birthing experience I desire. 

Mother's Day was this past week, and it felt great to be a part of the celebration. As a gift, my wonderful husband is blessing me with a prenatal massage every two weeks until Norah gets here. Couldn't have asked for anything better. 

Thanks for reading!

30 Weeks

This week was a busy one! Tim and I toured the birthing center at the hospital I will be delivering. We're very happy with the rooms, and the staff. I'm really excited for the jacuzzi tubs that they have. The atmosphere was very laid back which is perfect. The nurse guiding us told us that almost all the rooms were full, which surprised me because it was so quiet. 

I also went to my first mom to mom sale, and had a blast! I bought a bunch of great stuff, and got amazing deals! I was a little disappointed because most of the sizes I wanted to purchase were for the wrong season I needed. I plan on attending more though, so I'm sure I'll find what I need. 

After the mom to mom sale, my best friend Crystal and I went to the mall so I could try to find an outfit for my shower. I went with the intention of buying a dress but instead, I found a cute pair of pants and a top. Of course I also had to buy a pair of shoes as well. ;-) 

I could tell I did A LOT of walking that day because later that evening I began having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions. I made sure to rest and drink a lot of water, and they finally went away.

I'm obviously beginning to really feel anxious to meet Norah, as I had a dream about her arrival. Maybe not so much of a dream, but a nightmare. In my dream I had just finished delivering her when the nurses whisked her away to clean her up. As soon as they finished cleaning her up, a ton of my family just walked into the room. They were all taking turns holding her, all talking and laughing together. Meanwhile, I'm still in the bed, crying, because I hadn't even seen the baby yet.
At least I know that won't actually be the case when Norah arrives.

29 Weeks

It's crazy how in just one week, Norah's kicks have become even more powerful. There were quite a few times this week that she woke me up in the middle of the night, gasping in pain. She's really good at catching me off guard too. There has been a few times where she has moved or kicked so suddenly that it makes me jump! She also enjoys attempting to see how far up into my ribs she can get her feet. 

Tim finished painting the nursery this past week, and I'm so happy with the result! He also assembled Norah's crib. There is still A LOT to do, but having those two things completed makes me feel much better prepared. I'm looking forward to finishing this school semester, so I can start doing all the things I want to get done. 

This week I also picked up infant and children's clothing from my mom, that I wore when I was young. I'm really excited because one of the dresses that I picked up was a favorite of mine that my grandmother made. I think it's so awesome that Norah will be wearing outfits from my infancy and childhood that my grandmother had made. 

Thanks for reading!

28 Weeks

These weeks seem to be going by faster and faster! This week I had an appointment with my midwife. She explained to me how Norah is positioned, confirming my suspicions. Our little girl is in a head down & anterior position. Perfect position for the natural birth I'd like to have! I was very happy when my midwife stated that it's likely Norah will stay in this position. Norah has been enjoying having her feet in my ribs, I'm often pushing her feet down just relieve some of the pain & pressure. As uncomfortable as it is, I'm so grateful for each and every kick & jab.

I also had to take the glucose screening test this week. It didn't taste as bad as everyone made it out to be. I thought it tasted similar to a melted orange popsicle. I did have a little bit of trouble with the last quarter of it. Unfortunately I didn't pass, so now I have to go back for the three hour test. I'm really praying hard that I pass the next test, I want my little cricket to be as healthy as can be! 

27 Weeks: Third Trimester!

I missed week 26 on a count of working 11 hr days for fieldwork, so here we are at 27 weeks! I'm officially in the third trimester and I cannot believe it, my pregnancy is going by so quickly! Quite a few changes have happened in the past couple weeks. My brain seems to have lost even more of its functional ability. It has led me to say and do things that make no sense. I almost got into a car that was not my own, much to Tim's amusement. One day I referred to the linen closet as "the towel room," again to my husband's amusement (and confusion).

Whether it was her first time, or just my first time feeling them, Norah has begun having hiccups. Although she still prefers to spend time on my left side, Norah is taking more and more advantage of the other room available. I've begun to feel her kicks much higher now, quite close to my rib cage. Occasionally, she enjoys keeping a foot up there.

Tim has began painting the nursery, he's almost finished but there is still a little more to do. I can't wait until he's finished painting so we can set up the crib. I'm really feeling the time crunch now that I only have 13 weeks left! I've begun nesting a bit here and there as well. I've gotten our bedroom cleaned and organized. There's of course a lot more I want to do, I've just been too busy to get anything done!

Finally, rolling over in bed is becoming more and more difficult. I think Tim is getting a little sick of the amount of movement, accompanied by grunts, that has been required for me to get comfortable.

25 Weeks

By the feel of things baby girl has had a growth spurt this week! Her movements are even more noticeable, even the smallest ones. For the most part I feel her the most when I'm sitting or laying down, but I've begun to feel her movements a when I'm standing, as well.  This week Tim was able to see her movements for the first time, he was pretty happy about it as he's been trying for a few weeks now. I'm really beginning to feel the time crunch, especially with how much of a planner I am! There's so much left to do to prepare! Things have been really busy so we haven't been able to work on getting the nursery ready. One thing that's helping me to calm down is the fact that Tim and I have begun discussing our birth plan, and what we envision the labor and delivery to be. He's surprised me a bit about what he's pictured, and I couldn't be happier with what he's said!

24 Weeks

I'm a couple weeks behind in this series on account of throwing my back out, and then busying myself with cleaning & organizing. So here's my update on whats been going on the past few weeks.. 

Tim's parents took us shopping at Babies R Us and bought our little cricket's crib & dresser. It is such a huge blessing! We had both pieces of furniture delivered to the house but unfortunately the dresser was damaged. Thankfully, the store is going to exchange it for a new one (as they should!). 

Not only has Norah's nursery been started, her library has been as well! My mom and sister have both given us books, including the one seen in the photo. I plan on reading to my little cricket a lot once she's here, so it's a good thing her library has already been started. 

This past week was marked by the inability to button any of my pants! I've been making a lot of use out of the bella bands my best friend Crystal gave to me. I have to say, I love my growing belly! 

Baby Norah has also started moving even more than what she was! She's also grown enough that I can see my belly moving in relation to her kicking and tumbling. Naturally, she moves the most at night when I'm trying to sleep. 

Lastly, this past weekend my husband Tim and I went to Lowe's to pick out a few paint colors to consider. Once we got home we sat in what will be the nursery, and narrowed the samples. By the end of the day we were decided on which color we will be using! I can't wait to get the nursery painted!

21 Weeks

I'm almost a week late in posting this but what can I say, It's been a busy week! Our little cricket has been kicking up a storm! I was even able to see her little kicks the other day while sitting in class. I had my 21 week appointment with my midwife, I was so happy with what she had to say. She told me that the results from the anatomy scan are perfect, Norah is as healthy as can be. It was such a relief to hear her say those words. Norah is measuring in the 60th percentile, the midwife said that is perfect for her. She also stated that she's happy with the amount I've gained, I haven't gained too much, or too little. I just hope I can keep it that way! Before ending the appointment my midwife wanted to hear our little one's heartbeat, Norah sure made it difficult. She was moving around like crazy, it was fun to hear all the twisting & turning she was doing. 

20 Weeks

We're half way there and I can't believe it! We had our anatomy scan at 19 weeks and discovered that we're expecting a little girl! I was so shocked when the tech announced it looked like a girl. During my first trimester I was convinced it was a girl... But then once I began entering my second trimester I was so sure it was going to be a boy. I didn't tear up or anything just because I was so surprised. It was so fun seeing our little cricket on the screen, we were even able to watch her as she practiced breathing! She really made us work for getting images, she was all curled up & facing my spine. The tech had me moving onto my side, back, other side, back to the other side and so on. Our little girl even had her feet crossed at the ankle, which is how I sit most of the time. Haha. 

After we finished with the ultrasound my hubby and I went to Babies R us to pick out an outfit for her, just a little way to celebrate who we're expecting. I let Tim choose the outfit and he did pretty darn well.

I can't wait to meet our little Norah Joy!