Week 29

Week 29 has arrived complete with a quickly expanding belly.  This morning I told Andy I'm kind of scared now that I've seen how much she has grown just in the past 2-3 weeks... her potential is unlimited for the next 11 weeks!!  My maternity pants are definitely the best thing in my wardrobe and I typically have a better day if I'm wearing them :)  Though I love my belly band and it has definitely given me a couple more months without maternity clothes, I dread the day that I have to wear my pre-maternity pants in my weekly rotation.

Last weekends birthing class went alright.  I'm not sure I learned anything at all and Andy said he knew most of the stuff after hearing about my OB rotation... but Andy did get to experience something he will likely never forget.  They showed a video with 2 vaginal births and 1 csection.  One of the vaginal deliveries was with an epidural and without.  When I say they showed a video, I mean they showed evvvverything.  Like there was no editing or zooming out at all.  One of the dads in the video helped pull the baby out after the head popped out... I'm not sure Andy's gonna be that involved.  We had basically agreed that he'd just hang out by my head where everything is not quite so graphic and wait for them to put her up on my chest for his first peek as well :)  We did all get on the ground and practiced a couple of breathing techniques which I felt pretty silly doing.  They also had a bunch of medicine balls and were showing us these weird stretching things we could do.  A few of them involved getting backrubs from dad though so I didn't mind that part :)

Our house is moving along quickly!  We finally picked out all the paint colors.  Our room is a pale bluish-gray color.  I chose a very pale pink for Harpers room.  The kitchen is going to be green after all!  We took some samples over to paint little patches on the wall last week.  The first green we painted was honestly pretty awful.  It had too much yellow in it and appeared kind of pea-greenish.  While we were at the house there were a lot of hispanic workers hanging the rest of the dry wall.  We came back later that afternoon with a different paint sample to try out and when we returned there was a little note written in spanish next to our paint.  I whipped out my spanish translator and realized they were telling us not to use that color!!! lol.  I couldn't help but laugh because it was seriously pretty awful.  Andy wanted to write them a note back asking if they liked our next sample better but unfortunately I didn't have a pen with me.  We're possibly thinking we may be able to move in over Memorial day weekend but we'll see!

We also ordered our glider last week - I ended up going with plain white... I was too scared to commit to green when I still haven't exactly figured out the bedding situation.  The bedding I had picked out is still backordered but I have found a backup plan that Mom offered to sew for us if we need to!

We visited our second daycare last week.  It's a daycare at the Catholic church downtown - it's super close to Andy's work and would be on my way from our new house to the hospital.  We liked it though honestly I still dread the idea of sending our tiny little baby off to daycare.  We'd prefer to find someone to come keep her at our house but I'm just not sure when we should start looking for that?  I don't want to spend my maternity leave interviewing people but it seems weird to hire someone without ever seeing how they interact with your baby either.  I think I'd love to find someone who has a baby of their own and let them keep both their baby and ours - so if anyone knows of someone in Lexington who wants to keep a baby then let us know! :)

Harper is going to be baby model!!! :) I finally picked a photographer for our newborn pics and when I emailed her she asked if we would be interested in letting her be a model for a photog workshop at her studio.  A photographer from Maryland is coming in to work with 10-15 other photogs and take pictures of 2 newborns :) In exchange we will get some of the files so we said of course we'd love to participate!  hoping her head has time to become a nice shape before her debut ;)

We've got  fun weekend coming up... it's Andy's 27th birthday on Sunday!!! And he's running in the Derby half-marathon on Saturday with Dad, David, Uncle Kevin and one of Andy's friends.  We're going to run to Etown on Friday to get my bridesmaid dress worked on.  Saturday I'm going to go up to the race to cheer on my favorite boys then we've got a soccer game for Olivia.  Andy wants to go to the gorge and go for a hike for his bday so that's what we'll do to celebrate :) Plus his favorite strawberry shortcake cake that night.

Here's our update for the week!!

 I had to share this picture from our birth class last week.. too funny.  They made all the husbands try on the belly... which weighed 33 lbs!!

                                                         

How far along: 29

Total Weight Gain: 18

Stretchmarks:  Nope

Sleep:Good :) except my internal thermostat is much different these days so i've been getting super hot at night

Best Moment This Week: finally picking out paint, glider... feel like things are getting a little more organized

Movement: Her movements feel so much different now that she's bigger - not so much space in there for her

Gender: Baby girl!!

Labor Signs: some braxton hicks occasionally 

Belly Button: innie - prettty shallow

What I Miss: acne medicine. lol

 What I am Looking Forward to:  Andrew's birthday!!!

Milestones: almost 3 lbs! :)

Week 28

Our little bun in the oven is officially 2/3 finished baking!! Today we started the third trimester :)  Hard to believe she will be here so soon.  We had an appointment with the doctor and I feel extremely lucky that my visits are so boring.  She asks me if I have any questions/problems/concerns and I typically have already googled or spoken to the family OB and figured out any questions I may have.  Harper was measuring perfectly this week so it's unlikely that we'll end up getting any more ultrasounds... which is fine with us! My one question this week was whether I can get a spray tan... I'm not trying to be the pasty pregnant bridesmaid in a few weeks ;)  I did forget to ask her what the heart rate was this week but it sounded great regardless!  My blood pressure is also trucking along pretty low which makes me a very happy little lady!

To celebrate the start of our third trimester we are going to birth preparation class this Saturday at the hospital.  I really have no idea what to expect but hope we learn some helpful stuff!  I think my OB rotation has helped prepare me but I think we will still get a lot out of class.  They warned me that we would be doing "floor exercises" and to bring some pillows if I wanted... I'm picturing the type of birthing classes in the movies with all the couples in a circle practicing their breathing techniques.  I'll report back and let you all know how that goes :)  I think there's a couple other classes we want to take before she arrives.  I'm definitely going to do a breastfeeding class and Andy really wants to take infant CPR... lol  I reassured him that I know how to give CPR to a baby but he's concerned that I may not be available so he wants to learn.  Our insurance also sent us a happiest baby on the block dvd and I started watching it and the first 30 minutes was seriously all about swaddling.... I couldn't get into it but figured maybe when the big day gets closer I'll feel more patient to sit through it. 

Selling our townhouse has been full of some emotions this past week! We originally had a contract last week and after some more negotiations, we realized those buyers were likely not the best choice for us.  Fortunately we had someone else contact us who was very interested and motivated and signed a new contract today!  With the initial contract, we thought we were going to need to be out of this house by May 15 so we started packing up some boxes.  Our new contract doesn't require us to be out early but we're still living in the midst of a big mess right now.  I don't have much stuff for Harper yet but she does have a little suitcase packed with the clothes that are here in Lex :)  Anyhoo, fingers crossed that this deal goes smoothly!

Our new house is looking great - we went to pick out all the final things with the builder this week and all the drywall has been hung!  Last week Olivia got to sign the wall in her room and Andy and I went and wrote a sweet little note in harper's closet this week :)  We are getting super excited to get all moved in and settled before she arrives!

I achieved my personal goal of being able to "run" into my third trimester.  Andy is training for the Derby half marathon so we haven't been able to walk a ton but I have been trying to run the first mile or so of his runs then walk for a while afterwards.  His half marathon is April 28 so hopefully after that I'll get my walking buddy back :)

I think my stretch mark fiasco last week may have been a false alarm.  I let my fellow 3/4 MDs examine my belly and we agreed that they are more likely tiny little blood vessels... but then Olivia reminded me that they likely wouldn't tell me the truth regardless ;)  Gotta love little sisters...

I almost forgot my funny little story from last night! You must know that I'm a grump if Andy accidentally wakes me up at night... typically I'm unable to use my words and instead will just shake violently until he scoots far enough away from me.  Last night I wake up to him rubbing my belly and he says "How are you all doing over there?" I respond with "what time is it" (cause I'm blind without my contacts and can't see the clock)  He tells me it's 4 AM so then I ask him why he's talking to me in the middle of the night.. lol  I asked him about it this morning and apparently all he was awake for was me asking him what time it was.  He thinks I should be flattered that he's thinking about his two favorite girls even in his sleep ;)  I guess it's easy to forgive when you think about it like that :)

This is also a cool little video I found of where the heck all your insides go when baby is growing!  It explains why I literally get short of breath after eating a lot ;) http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/your-beginning/make-room-for-baby/interactive/

How far along: 28

Total Weight Gain: 17

Stretchmarks: don't think so

Sleep: Not so hot - her kicks have gotten so much stronger and tend to wake me up a few times during the night... think that's my body's way of preparing me for what's to come?? ;)

Best Moment This Week: doctors appts getting bumped up to every 2 weeks!

Movement: she's moving all over the place and is getting so strong

Gender: Baby girl!!

Labor Signs: some braxton hicks occasionally 

Belly Button: innie - I thought it might pop out tonight when I was running... my belly got so tight!

What I Miss:subway turkey sandwiches. lol  it's my hospital meal request post baby ;)

 What I am Looking Forward to:  childbirth preparation class

Milestones: Third trimester!!!

Week 27

I'm happy to report that in the battle between my abdominal muscles and Harper, she has officially won and is making her presence known!!  I had my first patient ask if I was pregnant this week!  Andy said she was extremely brave to ask me since she doesn't know my normal belly size but I thought it was kind of neat :)  I also experienced a little bit of trauma last night when I was examining my belly and believe I may be getting some stretch marks.  I was seriously shocked because although I expect to get them, I wasn't really expecting them yet!  I'm not gonna lie, (and Olivia would bust me out anyways) but a few tears may have been shed.  I immediately realized how silly I was being though and how worth it all my these fun body changes will be in just a few short months!

Speaking of Olivia, we have had a houseguest all week!  She is on spring break and opted to come hang out with all her favorite siblings in Lexington this week!  Cam has been nice enough to come over to our house at 8 every morning so she can sleep in a bit then she runs around with him during the day.  She has been going to classes and went to one of Cam's friends today to play Rook.  Last night, we had a family game of laser tag and dinner at PF Changs courtesy of the Easter Bunny.  Tonight was Mexican night at the casa de Reynolds followed by some more exciting rook games.  Olivia may or may not be undefeated ;)  And has the score card saved to prove it. 

In our countdown to Harper, we have 91 days left til her due date!  I am assigned to a doctor for a continuity clinic and she was telling me she was also pregnant during her third year and was due the day before finals.  She made it through an 8 hour standardized patient exam while in labor, went home and showered then delivered 12 hours after completing third year!! I told her she's my inspiration ;)  Harper is due during the middle of finals week. I have an all day exam on Monday, she's due Wednesday, then more finals Thurs and Fri.  So my fingers are crossed for a Saturday birthday!  As soon as my finals are over I'm going to be burning up the pavement trying to induce some labor ;)

"Burning up the pavement" has definitely taken on a new meaning in the past couple months.  I'm basically only running a mile or so at a time then walking for a while.  I huff and puff throughout the entire mile and I'm positive Andy could walk as fast as I am running.  I have a feeling Harper is going to be one of those spoiled babies who loves being held or in a swing since she's constantly bouncing around... which is fine with me :)  I'm excited to strap her into a little wrap so she can hang out with me while I do things around the house! 

We had a great Easter weekend - was so good to see so much family!  It felt so odd to have the Hamilton side together without Grandmom there :( We all miss her so much and I get so sad thinking about her not being able to meet and hold Harper but I know she probably knows her already and is keeping her safe and sound :)

Our new house is moving along quickly!  They said it may be finished by the end of May so if we're able to sell our townhouse we might get to move a little early!  We've shown our townhouse to quite a few people and are expecting a new offer in the morning so fingers are crossed that it's good :) 

Here's our update for the week!  Photo taken by Olivia the photographer this week ;)

How far along: 27

Total Weight Gain: 16

Stretchmarks: possibly, I am lathering up with the cocoa butter!

Sleep: pretty great

Best Moment This Week: seeing all the fam over Easter

Movement: all the time!

Gender: Baby girl!!

Labor Signs: some braxton hicks occasionally - I laughed so hard at one of christie's tennis moves the other day that it made me start contracting the other day
Belly Button: innie, getting awfully shallow.  hoping it holds out for david and carries wedding so olivia isn't too embarrassed to stand near me
What I Miss: nothing

 What I am Looking Forward to:  doctors appt next week!

Milestones: 91 days til her due date! I get kind of freaked out thinking that I saw 27 week old babies get delivered on OB my rotation and knowing there's one of those inside of me ;)

Week 26

Hello, hello week 26!  I have started to ponder this week how you quantify pregnancy in months... do you assume 4 weeks/month so I am now 6 1/2 months pregnant?  That would really mean pregnancy is more like 10 months long.  6 1/2 sounds like an awful lot with a very, very short time left until baby girl has arrived!  Both super exciting and kind of nerve wracking at the same time.

We had a great weekend up in Bloomington with our friends! The Easter Egg hunt was a little disappointing... there were no open spots but Andy and I might've hopped a fence to join in the fun ;)  Unfortunately we were about 45 seconds after everyone was let loose and we seriously found no eggs!  Some people were beyond serious - they had headlights, bags strapped to themselves so they'd have two free hands, etc. And those were the successful people! I think Evan got 7 eggs and Brooke got 4 but the guy they were with got 28! He was prepared.  It was still such a fun idea and something I'd totally do again.  Mom was worried I'd trip and fall in my quest for candy so it might be better saved for a not pregnant year :)

The most exciting part of our weekend/Monday was definitely UK Basketball!!!! Go cats!!!! We watched the game Saturday in Indiana and I was a little perturbed that the people we watched with kept cheering for Lville to at least keep it close.  I personally prefer 20 pt victories over close games that make my blood pressure elevate.  Monday night we had Davo, Cam, Carrie and Christie over to grill out and watch the Cats.  It is possible that I took a power nap during a bit of the second half but Harper was thrashing around the game so she must be a big blue fan already.  I woke up for the end and to see the celebrations and then got talked into driving onto campus to see what madness was taking place.  It was pretty awesome to see - so many people high fiving and screaming and honking... and a lot of drunken college kids walking through the middle of the road as well.  I kept my window rolled but fortunately had Christie in the backseat to high five the peeps so they'd leave me alone :)

Andy and I were going through our weekends during this rotation and we literally have something going on every weekend before Harper gets here!! She will be here before we know it.  Our next biggest event is David and Carrie's wedding which we are getting super excited about!  My bridesmaid dress came in about a month ago and I guess I should start thinking about when I'm going to get it altered... I feel like my belly has grown a ton in just the past two weeks so cannot imagine how much bigger it's going to get in the next 5!

Everything with the house is still going smoothly - the exterior is complete and they are about to start putting up the drywall inside next week!  We have showed our townhouse to a few people now and got one offer that was lower than we wanted so fingers crossed one of the other people that saw it this weekend will make an offer soon! 

14 weeks left... hard to believe, but I am getting so, so excited for her arrival!! I spent a lot of time looking at baby photographers tonight and am pumped to have some sweet little newborn pictures done of our sweet girl! 

We're heading to Etown for Easter and are excited to color some eggs w/ the fam on saturday and see all the extended fam on Sunday! Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend :)

How far along: 26

Total Weight Gain: 15.5 (according to dad this number will now double before delivery, which would be fine :))

Stretchmarks: Nope... but I feel like I know exactly where they are going to appear

Sleep: like a rock

Best Moment This Week: #8!!! :)

Movement: All the time - some serious movement during the UK game

Gender: Baby girl!!

Labor Signs: some braxton hicks occasionally
Belly Button: innie
What I Miss: running more than 2 miles without feeling like i might die
What I am Looking Forward to:  Easter with the fam :)

Milestones: she's around 2lbs and 14 inches long from head to toe!  we are under 100 days in our countdown to her arrival! :)