27 weeks and lots more!

This last week was pretty fantastic.

Laura Kate is growing big and strong and her kicks are amazingly strong! And right now, I love it. It doesn't get old sitting and staring at my belly as it bounces around and knowing its not me doing any of that, it's all coming from my little lady!

I had a baby shower.

Yep, you read that right.

I, as in me, I had a baby shower. Something I wasn't sure I ever wanted to partake in. Something I was terrified would just be a sad reminder of how I haven't been to a shower in over three years (well, not counting a shower I went to the weekend before, technically that was the first one in over three years) and more importantly WHY I hadn't been to a shower in three years.

If you've been there you understand why. That fear and overwhelming sadness that envelopes you when you think about how this is a celebration for a baby who will almost certainly come home healthy (and you wouldn't want it any other way) but that you might not ever get that same celebration for your own babies. Bittersweet on a good day. Soul shattering on a bad one. And not something I was "strong" enough to attend when I was struggling to just survive day by day. Something that is still hard even as I approach the third trimester.

But Saturday, April 27, 2013, Laura Kate Smith was celebrated by friends and family who love her and are (almost) just as excited and happy for our new addition as we are!

I can't express my gratitude. (Though I'll try this weekend, when I start writing all those fun thank you cards!)

But it was still hard, still bittersweet. Even though it was also wonderfully awesome to know it was OUR baby that was being showered with love. Something I wasn't sure we'd ever experience.

Some pictures from our shower: (Most of the pictures are a bit blurry since I left my camera at the house and we had to rely on iPhones.)

 



Yes, I'm crying here. The first picture of the evening and I'm in tears! Brian gave a quick but very thoughtful thank you to our friends and family and the waterworks started. What else did you

expect!?

 

Such a cute dress! Thanks A & J!

 

 

The crab on this set was seriously the cutest thing ever!

 

 

Brothers and Sisters!

 

 

Most of the group! Of course no is looking at the camera!

 

Here's some of the adorable gifts Laura Kate received. Little lady has no idea how loved she already is!

 

I think our little girl is all set! Can you believe all the stuff we received?!

 

Cuteness for our baby girl!

Seeing her name in print is one of the most amazing things in the world. All of our babies have names but to see her name in print makes her feel so very real. :)

Yes, Laura Kate, you are proof that miracles do happen!

My awesome stroller. Or wait, Laura Kate's awesome stroller. Thanks Mia and Grandaddy!

Oh and some of the hair bows I've been making her. I'm still a beginner so some aren't too cute (like the super flat blue one) but I'm getting better!

On Monday I had my one hour glucose screening and I'm happy (and so relieved) to report that I passed! No three hour for me and no gestational diabetes! They also did a CBC on this day and called me with the results a couple hours ago and I am anemic. So they want me popping some iron pills starting tonight and we'll see if we can get that taken care of.

And now for my week 27 bump picture and a little update on what's happening in that belly of mine!

 (Yes, this is a work picture. And boy do I look sleepy! Thanks insomnia!)

She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.



I know some of you have asked about nursery pictures but sorry folks, you'll just have to wait. It's not complete yet and I'd rather give you the finished picture rather than progress pictures! But hopefully it won't be too much longer!

And last but not least:

How far along?  27 weeks

Total weight gain:  No clue!

Maternity clothes? Yes please!

Stretch marks?  I have one tiny little red mark just to the left of my belly button that appears to be a stretch mark. I'm hoping its the only one I get! (Yeah, that's right Alex, still jut ONE little tiny spot! :P )

Sleep: Insomnia has become my enemy the last few nights but I blame it on being nervous for my gestational diabetes test on Monday morning. I woke up at 3:50 and all I could think about was how I was going to fail the test, I was soooo tired and just wanted to go back to sleep, and that I had a really busy day at work and of all days I had to be able to sleep....so of course I couldn't go back to sleep. Monday night was only a tiny bit better and last night was a lot better, though when I woke up at midnight to pee I was still awake at 2am. Honestly, I think I've just psyched myself out because I'm not uncomfortable or in pain while sleeping so I'm not sure what the deal is.

Best moment this week:  Passing the GD test. Watching my belly move on its own. Feeling her kick all.the.time.

Miss Anything? Nope!

Movement: Oh yes, Laura Kate is a wiggle worm!

Food cravings:  Nothing lately.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.

Gender prediction: She's definitely our sweet little girl!

Labor Signs: Geez, hope not!

Symptoms:  Heartburn, pubic bone pain, and the carpal tunnel

Belly Button in or out? In!

Wedding rings on or off? On. Still swelling a bit but not like last week. Cankles still come and go but not as grotesque as they were last update!

Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy!!!

Looking forward to:  Meeting my baby girl! (in 13 weeks or so)

~It wouldn't be right, to not mention that on Saturday, while Brian and I were celebrating our sweet girl, that my heart was heavy for a fellow loss mom and she never left my mind or my heart.  So many thoughts, prayers, and (((HUGS))) being sent to you Q and family. I'm sorry for your loss just isn't enough.~

25 weeks! (and 5 days)

As usual, I'm late for my own updates!

I had an appointment with my MFM this morning and Laura Kate is looking fantastic! I'll have to scan the ultrasound pictures in later but as usual she was in a funky position so even getting her profile shot was difficult and she looks a bit funny. I must admit I'm a tiny bit sad that I see so many others with all these adorable sonograms and my baby just won't cooperate! I have a feeling this is a sign of things to come! ;)

But she looks very healthy and......TALL.

I'm 5'4". Brian is 5'9". We're not tall.

Neither are Laura Kate's grandparents on either side. Her uncles have some height (both over 6') so maybe that is where she's getting it but her arms and legs measured 28+ weeks. But her head, and this makes me giggle, measured 24 weeks. I just get a funny mental image of my sweet girl with her long arms and legs and tiny little head! The MFM assured us he was not the least bit worried and she'd even out but he did say we had a tall baby on our hands. Very odd!

They estimated her weight at 2lbs 2oz which I think they said was just a bit above average but about right for her height!

Little chunk!

We are planning on doing the elective 3d ultrasounds in a couple weeks (May 4th is the tentative date) and I'm hoping we can see her pretty little face then!

We had them verify that she is still she. I still wouldn't care one way or the other but as we're starting to buy a few pricier pieces of furniture that are definitely girly I'd hate for them to be wrong! But she's still a girl!

Next week, April 29th, is my one hour glucose test. I'm nervous. I try to eat healthy and I think I do a pretty good job most of the time and don't give in to my cravings too often. But that's not saying I don't give in to them ever by any means!

We'll see.

I do have a bump picture this week. We actually did take one at home on Saturday but I'm obviously slacking on uploading it and find it much easier to use the picture a friend posted from the same day from her shower for her little girl...

I know I see my belly every day in the mirror but this picture still just blows my mind.

Babycenter and TB say that average for a 25 weeker is:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How far along?  25 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain:  I refuse to ask these days! I feel better if I don't know. And I figure if they were worried they'd say something.

Maternity clothes? Yes please!

Stretch marks?  I have one tiny little red mark just to the left of my belly button that appears to be a stretch mark. I'm hoping its the only one I get!

Sleep: Still sleeping pretty good for the most part. I have my nights though. And my stupid pubic bone causes me the most grief when I'm sleeping so that sucks but I'm still getting a full night's sleep!

Best moment this week:  The ultrasound today!

Miss Anything? Nope!

Movement: Oh yes, Laura Kate is a wiggle worm!

Food cravings:  Nothing lately.

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope.

Gender prediction: She's definitely our sweet little girl!

Labor Signs: Geez, hope not!

Symptoms:  Heartburn, pubic bone pain, and the carpal tunnel

Belly Button in or out? In but it sure looks funny!

Wedding rings on or off? On but every once in a while it gets really snug and I take it off. Oh but speaking of swelling.....cankles...holy cankles! I started working full time instead of just mornings last week and every single day I'd get the absolute worst, biggest, cankles you could ever imagine, even though its a desk job and I'm not on my feet all day. I sit 90% of the day. So I wasn't expecting it but then this weekend I didn't have them at all and I spent more time on my feet so I'm guessing it is actually because of the sitting! We'll see how they look at the end of today!

Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy!!!

Looking forward to:  Meeting my baby girl! (but not anytime too soon)

Picture Time!

As promised here are some bump pics! And yes, you've already seen the first couple!

Let's start by going back to my very first one at 17 weeks:

Then 18:

 Half-Baked!!! (I just had to crop my face from this one. I was looking rough!)

21 weeks:

22 weeks:

and today at 24 weeks! and 1 day!

Sometimes its actually hard for me to tell how much my belly has grown until I look at my boobs and see how much they appear to have shrunk! Though they certainly haven't! 

Pregnancy Announcement Advice Needed

I was asked a great question today. And I wanted to see if I could get other's opinions on the subject and see if we can all help!

If you are still in the middle of your IF or loss journey how would you want to be told by a friend that she was pregnant? Even if you're no longer in the middle of it and have found success in one form or another how would you have liked to be told, in person? A phone call? A text? Email?  Not told at all?

We all know that pregnancy announcements suck. Terribly.  I can tell you that the sting of it is still there even now at 24 weeks pregnant. I imagine it will be there for my entire life, though I hope it will fade. And as "unfair" as it is it is always easier to hear that your friend who struggled through multiple losses or years of infertility treatment or both has found success than it is to hear about your friend who tried for a couple months if even that. It is what it is.

It's easy to dish out advice and say this is what I would like but I know when I found out that my IVF worked I was in a weird place with many of my friends still on the "other side". I knew they'd be happy for me but I also knew (as I'd felt so many times before) that my news simply wasn't fair and it was going to sting and hurt. And its a difficult place to be in because clearly we don't want to hurt our friends.

So how would you want to be told? What is the easiest way for you to hear the news when you're still waiting for your turn?

It's V Day!!!!

First of all, I'm sorry I've been such a slacker and haven't posted a single update in three weeks now.

But I'm here now!

And it's a very important day! Laura Kate and I have made it to V Day or 24 weeks!!!! Viability Day that is- the day when most doctors will work hard to save my baby should she be delivered early. Not the day, week, or month that she is allowed to make her appearance but it's comforting to know that if the worst were to happen she has a chance. And that the medical team would be fighting for her too! It kind of takes a weight off my shoulders.

But like I said she is NOT allowed out for another 14 weeks at the absolute earliest. Hope you're listening baby girl!!!

I've been doing really good. Physically I feel fantastic other than a few minor aches and pains from my pubic bone (it's annoying that any mild exercise like walking turns the mild pain to miserable for about 24-48 hours though so I feel like a lazy bum with almost no exercise) and my fingers are still incredibly stiff. The stiffness lasts a little longer every day so I'm wondering if I'll be able to move them in a few weeks. I might be typing with one finger soon!

But seriously I feel great! My belly is getting bigger and bigger and just makes me laugh to see how big it is. Laura Kate is moving more and more and makes my belly move up and down with her kicks and punches. My favorite is when I set something on my belly and she kicks it off!

I still pinch myself daily. Seriously. I wake up most mornings (except the ones where she is already kicking me before I get out of bed) slightly convinced I've dreamt it all. That I'm not pregnant just overweight! I have to walk to her room and look to make sure it really is there with furniture. Because I can't believe this is actually happening for us!

Beyond grateful.

I had every intention of posting more bump pics today but Brian is working late yet again and therefore no belly pics! I'm actually quite irritated by it. Every single time I'm ready for my belly shot he has to work and the days he isn't working super late we are too busy until too late to do it. The last few we have taken are just awful because it's after 10pm and I look and feel exhausted.

And he leaves before I'm out of bed in the morning.

I need to invest in a tripod so I can do this myself!

But either way, I am PROMISING a blog entry with all the past due belly pics and ultrasound pics coming by Friday at the latest!

21 Down, 19 to Go!

 

 

Yesterday was 21 weeks! Today there is only 18 weeks and 6 days left before we get to meet our little lady...assuming she's not too late to her own birthday! 

 

Other than lots of kicking, flipping, punching, and of course snoozing, Laura Kate now has eyebrows and eyelids. And her vagina has begun to form.

 

I had my OB appointment on Monday. I of course was worried about every little thing but all turned out to be perfect. Blood pressure is perfect. Weight gain is good (up another 5lbs) for a total of 8 pounds. Her heartbeat is perfect but she let them know she did not appreciate the doppler disturbance by kicking it repeatedly while they tried to listen. Kind of hard to hear and count your heart beat when you're busy kicking the crap out of my belly little miss! But obviously, she's just fine if she can kick like that!

 

Brian also got to feel her kick the other night. Usually her movements are still pretty light and can't be felt from the outside but she gave him one swift kick the other night which was quite exciting!

 

 

 

 

Now, tell me how a pomegranate is 10.5 inches! I've never laid eyes on one more than 4 or 5 inches. But last week I was a "banana" at only 6.5 inches!? Yeah, ok! So weird.

 

So I do have belly pictures from 20 weeks and again from yesterday but for some reason I can't get them uploaded here. Grrrr. I'll keep trying. I swear!

 

 

 

 

 

How far along? 21 weeks

Total weight gain: +8  as of Monday

Maternity clothes? Yes! Thanks to K.R. I've got more than enough clothes to get me by for a while!

Stretch marks? Nope

Sleep: Another thank you to K.R. for the wrist braces! I've been sleeping like a baby the last two nights! (Turns out I've got carpal tunnel and that is why my arms are falling asleep and my hands are sore, swollen, and frozen stiff in the mornings! The wrist braces have reduced the symptoms tremendously so far!)

Best moment this week: It's always so hard to pick a single best moment. She is most active around 10am and again in the evenings around 6 or so. I'd say those are my favorites moments. I particularly love it when I poke my belly and she kicks back in the exact same spot, I could play for hours...but she usually only lasts 3 or 4 kicks! ;)

Miss Anything? Nope!

Movement: Oh yes, Laura Kate is a wiggle worm!

Food cravings:  No real cravings. I suppose sweet things like oranges, strawberries, and other fruits are at the top of the list. And still loving my milk!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Haven't felt sick at all in quite a while!

Gender prediction: She's definitely our sweet little girl!

Labor Signs: Geez, hope not!

Symptoms: Sore boobies, heartburn, carpal tunnel, and the pubic bone pain (which has actually subsided quite a bit)! I'm always hungry too! And pretty much always super excited and happy...those are pregnancy symptoms too, right?!

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: So happy!!!

Looking forward to: Every single day from here on out! Especially the day (in no sooner than 17 weeks from now) that we get to meet her and see her pretty face!


Half Baked and More!

Today Laura Kate is half baked!!! Amazing! It feels like just yesterday I was giving myself three shots a day and praying this whole thing would work!

And here we are now! Half way there!

Unbelievable!!!

She's a busy little lady this week, weighing in about 10.5 ounces and measuring about 10 inches from head to heel! She's also still practicing her swallowing skills, she's swallowing up a few ounces of amniotic fluid each day.

She's also producing meconium! We should get to see that in her first diaper! Oh joy! ;)

And she's got working tastebuds!

And she's become the wiggliest little thing ever! I think she's having a party in there day and night! Her pokes, kicks, and somersaults used to feel more like a flutter or bubbles popping but now literally feel like I've got someone in my belly poking and kicking me! I love every single second of it!

And here's our 20 week bump picture! Of course that's Ben and Jerry's Half Baked Ice Cream (and one of the adorable bowls that Jenn over at The Canadian Housewife sent to me)!


(ok, pictures will have to wait til tomorrow! We took them on the iPhone today but they won't email out!)



And finally I'm going to bombard you with photos of our bathroom remodel! If you remember I mentioned a couple months ago that we were finally going to start getting the ball rolling on this project and well it has happened and is now pretty much complete! All that is left is the decorating part, I need new towels, baskets for the shelves, etc.

And before I show you the before pictures, just know that while the room looks terrible I swear its clean, its just old as dirt and looked filthy all the time.

Well hello, hideous 1940's bathroom!

My! What beautiful cabinetry! Or not!

Demo Day 1: Tear it down!

Demo Complete! Hello busted pipes!

Wowzers! Hello pretty floating shelves!

So stinkin' cute!!! We love our new, clean, fresh, bright, cheerful bathroom!

Tell me its not the cutest bathroom you've ever seen now!?