33 Week Update & Doctor Visit

Yesterday marked the beginning of my 33rd week! Same old story as far as development – just gaining weight! She now weighs between 4-5 lbs and is over 17 inches long.  I am swelling up at a rapid rate and I think its gross! Nurse Ginny assured me yesterday that the water weight will come right off and I’ll be back to normal in no time. I like Nurse Ginny! It’s fun now going to the doc so frequently because the nurses all start to remember you, it’s like a bunch of new friends!

Doctor Roberts said that everything is progressing as it should and my tummy is measuring at 33cm – perfect! She took the time to answer a lot of our questions and all of the answers are what we wanted to hear. For example, we’ve heard a lot about having the baby sleep in your room for the first 6 months as a precautionary measure against SIDS. With the nursery being so close to our room already, I really wasn’t digging the idea and there were other measures that I had planned to use to reduce the risk of SIDS. She said that it is not necessary and that we’d probably get even less sleep having Lily in the room with us. She also endorsed donating Lily’s cord blood with the absence of hereditary blood disorders in our families. Cord blood banking is quite the hot topic right now and is a FORTUNE to store privately for our own use if we ever need it. After listening to Dr. Roberts, I think we’re leaning towards the free donation program! Another appointment is set up in two weeks and after that, I’ll start going in every week!

We also completed three baby courses over the past two weeks: breastfeeding, infant cpr, and baby care basics. There was A LOT of information covered in these courses and it was a little overwhelming. I failed at changing my first diaper and t-shirt on a fake baby so we’re doomed to have poop all over everything! Perhaps a few of you will be less inclined to hold Lily when you first meet her after hearing that…I’m sure my skills will improve with experience, right?

Now my momma is on her way down to Cincinnati for some shopping this evening and a shower with friends tomorrow! I definitely will need a lot of rest after this weekend because I’m already feeling worn out after just preparing for the festivites! Even so, I’m really excited for some good girl time and of course, good food!

32 Week Update

Another week, another few pounds gained for both me and Lily. Seems like that’s all we’re up to these days! The swelling has begun and has forced me to stop wearing my gorgeous wedding ring. So don’t judge me the next time you see me sans ring – Brian and I have not been driven apart over which carseat to register for, I’m just retaining water like a sponge!

The changes with my body have definitely begun to take their toll. I get winded quite easily and sometimes have to massage Lil down to the bottom of my stomach just so I can get in a nice full breath. My center of gravity has also shifted and I’m clumsier than ever! A week ago I tripped over the dog and most likely broke my big toe. I’m just now back to walking somewhat comfortably on it and it’s become a lovely shade of purple! Definitely have to take things slower going forward!

Speaking of slowing down (not) this weekend is my first baby shower! My momma will arrive in town Friday to finally meet my lovely coworkers and do a little shopping. Saturday my roommates from college roll in to join my Cincinnati gal pals in celebrating Lily’s impending arrival! I’m looking forward to this weekend quite a bit but predict lots of naps throughout!

Speaking of sleep, it’s way past my bed time. Lily doesn’t quite get the concept of bedtime just yet, she’s still kickin away! Nighty nite!

31 Weeks

We’re at 31 weeks! Lily is pretty much just hanging out with all of her extraordinary development behind her. Just fattening up so she’ll be more plump to snuggle with once we meet her!

The calendar gets busy over the next month with baby showers and birthday celebrations so this weekend we have designated as a no responsibility weekend! We have our uniforms on (sweats/pjs) and are stuck to the couch eating junk, watching movies, and DOING NOTHING! (although Brian keeps cheating and working on the laptop). I think writing this blog might even be illegal, Lily is bouncing around in protest! Back to American Idol…

Andy loves no responsibility weekend

That’s How We Roll

I forgot to mention that a few weeks back, Lillian and I got a new ride! The Corolla served me well for almost five years but I thought we’d need some extra cargo room come the spring! We love the 4Runner! Soon enough it will be outfitted with all of Lily’s accessories and we’ll be ready to roll!

Who Writes This Stuff?

I read an article on proper pregnancy nutrition that said you should never feel hungry throughout your pregnancy. I believe this article was written by a man. A man who has never had a pregnant wife.

Nice People

People are nice to pregnant women! In general, I think that I’ve had more doors opened for me, and more smiles on the street (Brian says there’s extra stares too-like I’m the first giant belly they’ve seen).  This week I’ve had some really great experiences that have left me one happy preggo lady!

The first experience was my ‘load up on meat’ trip to Bigg’s. First of all, they offer an “Expectant Moms” parking spot. Yes, I can walk across a parking lot just fine, but the up front spot is a huge relief at the end of a busy day. More establishments should have expectant moms parking, I love it! So I waddle (quack quack) the short distance into the store and of course I have to pee right away. In my regular belly days my bladder could hold A LOT so I’m not so familiar with the location of public restrooms. I panicked because I really had to go and how often do you actually see workers (outside of cashiers) around a grocery store? Well as I was walking in, like not even through the automatic doors, there was a friendly worker standing there who gladly directed me to the restrooms. And let me tell you, these restrooms were NICE! They were super clean and smelled like cinnamon! Then throughout the remainder of my trip I encountered 2 other workers who asked if I was finding everything okay and even helped me reach an item! I give Bigg’s two thumbs up!

The second was a trip to Gap earlier tonight. I’ve been to the store multiple times throughout the pregnancy and they’ve always been nice, but this experience has me fired up. The sales associate was really helpful in finding me sizes while I was in the fitting room and gave me really good advice about nursing bras – exciting! Then she worked everything out so I could get the maximum discount possible – $100 off my purchase! I left a happy lady with two cute new dresses to wear at my baby showers! 

So while pregnancy isn’t a disease that leaves you unable to move around or do anything for yourself, the little extra steps that others take from time to time to help you out is MUCH appreciated by the preggo woman!

30 Week Belly shot and Update

Here I am sporting my 30 week pregnant belly! My body is definitely stretching and warping and doing all sorts of crazy pregnant things that I won’t subject you to! It is pretty amazing though how my body just knows what to do to provide for me and Lily! I have a smart body.

The baby kicks are much stronger and they make my belly a very unstable surface – it was nice there for awhile to use as an extra tray for snacks! Now you can feel where she is throughout the day because that part of my belly gets really hard…and usually after poking around she pokes back! It’s fun.

So yeah, I’m 30 weeks! Crazy huh?! As a number person, it was exciting to think that I’m 75% percent of the way leaving, that’s right – 25% more to go! 10 more weeks! In six weeks she’ll be fully cooked and we’ll hopefully be all ready for her to come! (Kinda freaking out inside about that thought!)

According to BabyCenter, Lily is about 15.7 inches long and weighs almost 3 pounds. Her eyesight continues to develop but by the time she is born her vision will only be 20/400.

Over the past few weeks we’ve completed our Lamaze course and have taken a tour of the labor and delivery ward at Christ Hospital…did I already mention that? I have a crazy case of the “pregnant brain”. I had heard rumors of this pregnant brain and thought they were all false but every day I seem to become more and more absentminded and very clumsy! Brian often cuts me off when I’m talking because apparently I’ve told him things multiple times. The other day as I was purging our winter coat collection, I mentioned that its probably not safe for me to carry all of them up the stairs. Brian responded with “It’s probably not safe for you walk up the stairs, period.” It’s true, I’ve been tripping on the stairs and running into walls – as if my body needed any more sore spots!

I also took the 1 hour glucose test to check for gestational diabetes at the last doctor appointment 2 weeks ago. I passed with a score of 100 (I hear that’s good!) However, the test results did show that I am anemic and I’ve since begun taking an iron supplement. Not quite sure if I’m absorbing the iron as efficiently as I should be because I’ve been having frequent dizzy spells. I went to the grocery store the other day and bought out their red meat department in hopes of getting as much iron as possible!

Next doctor appointment is next Wednesday and after that I start going every 2 weeks! Things are really starting to wind down!

What’s in a Baby Name?

I consider myself a pretty easy going gal. So when my DH (that’s baby speak for dear husband) mentioned that he wasn’t too sure about the name Isabelle anymore, I didn’t think much of it. He’s already second guessed the nursery bedding selection, and middle name so I shouldn’t be surprised by his latest thought. His reasonings for choosing against Isabelle include:

1. The name seems to be everywhere. From our neighbors two houses down that just arrived home with their new daughter, to Turk and Carla on Scrubs – lots of people are naming their daughter Isabelle.

2. Many people automatically assume her name is IsabellA. Like when we were touring a pediatricians office on Friday and the nurse asked if we had picked out a name, I said Isabelle and she responded with, “Isabella, how pretty!”. Brian doesn’t want our daughter to have to go around correcting people about her name.

3. While most names are cyclical, the popularity trend line for Isabelle indicates that a peak may be occurring now. Therefore, the arguably undesirable situation of her sharing her name with several classmates throughout her life is higher.*

4. People automatically assume we chose the name Isabelle after my love of the Twilight series. Again, this character is IsabellA, but whatever, and that’s not the reason we chose it.

5. Our friend Evan has repeatedly said that we chose the wrong name after the online name vote a few months ago. Evan, you WIN!

So now, her name is Lillian Marie MacDonald! But you can call her Lily for short. I promise that this is FINAL and we will not change it again. Unless, of course, the ultrasound tech completely interpreted the image incorrectly (keep your fingers crossed that this does not happen!) Any cute customizable things may now be purchased!

* Judging by the obvious change in tone, Brian wrote this point.

Pool Party?

Izzy is ready for fun in the *shaded* sun! We picked her up a little poolside outfit for Valentine’s Day yesterday! Who could resist flip flops that match a bathing suit?!

Baby thoughts…

I mentioned earlier that the babymoon gave me a lot of time to think about the pregnancy and sort of settle into it. This post briefly explains the emotions I’ve experienced over the past 7 months.

We weren’t trying for a baby. Will Smith once said to Oprah that when you have children you have to mourn your previous life. 7 months ago, I wasn’t ready to mourn, I was loving that life! Then one day in September my “previous life” was turned upside down. Now things are a little different. While I have no way of knowing exactly what it is going to be like once Isabelle is born, it is very clear that she is going to rock our world. Gone will be the days of making selfish decisions regarding what to do after work or on the weekends. The nights of staying out late with friends and crashing at their place will be no longer. How we spend not only our time but also our money will be different. No more last minute vacations consisting of just laying on the beach. No more long expensive dinners accompanied by great wine and no cares in the world. We won’t be able to spend entire weekends sleeping in, eating doughnuts, and catching up on the DVR. I will miss all of these things dearly. I am so grateful, however, that the last 26 years have been unreal and loads of fun.

Its true, the next many years will be nothing like the past, and as terrifying as that is, I’m really excited. And I’m slowly starting to understand what that excitement means. I am excited for seeing all of her “firsts” and learning her likes and dislikes. As she gets older, I can’t wait to hear her giggle with her friends and talk about boys. I know that caring for this little nudger inside of me will be the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I know that God put me on this earth to be a mother – and a fantastic one at that. While I’m going to miss everything that was, I think I am ready to take on this new calling of motherhood.

In a few more months I know I’m going to be more scared than I’ve ever been and will be desperately clinging to my previous life. I don’t think the mourning process can be completed throughout the course of this pregnancy, I think it is a process that will be around for awhile and we get used to our new life. Brian and I have spent an amazing nine and half years just the two of us. Those memories will never go away. Memories will continue to be created, just with more players in the game. And I really do think that it will be the greatest game ever played.