Next Month

While we were laying in bed this morning putting off actually getting up and getting ready, Andy and I got to talking about Baby Girl (she is most often the topic of conversation these days!). 

You know what we realized? There is a good chance we will meet our Baby Girl next month. 

Did you hear that? 

Let it sink in a minute.... 

Next Month. 

We may be holding our sweet Camy Lou next month.

That thought is exhilarating, in both an exciting and a terrifying way.

Our lives are about to change forever. 

We have wanted this for so long.

For years we talked about when we would start our family, and as we checked off all the tasks on our Pre-TTC To-Do List one-by-one, we became more and more eager to get things moving along. 

We prayed for an easy TTC journey and in some respects it was easy, but there were many times along our 8 month ride that we wondered why things were happening the way they were, why things weren't easier for us.

Then all the ups and downs of that TTC roller coaster became more than worth it on Christmas night when we saw those 2 pink lines. 

That test was all we had been waiting for and we were over the moon at our blessed fortune, we were finally able to exclaim "We're having a BABY!"

That seems like it happened so long ago, but at the same time it feels like the last 27 weeks since that glorious day have flown by. 

We have known about our sweet baby for 27 weeks today.

We have celebrated every little milestone with her growth and development. We have joyously shared every bit of news we've received about her with our loved ones.  We have lovingly prepared a room for her in our home. We have prayed for her good health. We have counted down the days to her arrival. We have worried over whether we are well equipped to parent her and whether we can provide her with all the things she deserves in her life. 

The last 27 weeks have presented us with more joys than we could have imagined, and more obstacles than we could have imagined.

We have spent many days grinning ear to ear talking about our future with our baby, and many days crying over the cards we've been dealt since we learned of her existence. 

Through all the ways our faith and resolve has been tested on this 27 week journey, one thing has remained constant. 

This baby is the answer to the prayers we've been sending up for the last 4 years. 

We love this baby more now than we ever thought we were capable of, and that love for her grows everyday. 

And that is all that matters. 

So as much as we may have to stress and worry about in these last 9 weeks (or less) before her arrival, we will continue to remind ourselves that she is our sweet little blessing, we love her with every bit of ourselves now and always will -- and that is all that is important.

We may not be able to provide for her in the ways we anticipated, we may be worrying about our finances and our jobs and our home for a long while, but this child will never be lacking for love. 

As long as we remember that, we will be okay. 

Single Digit Weekly Countdown!

Started this post Tuesday.. didn't finish. But I'm posting it anyway! :)

Holy Cow. 

Today marks 9 weeks til our due date.

Single digits. 

Daddy is so excited, Mommy is so anxious. 

Both Mommy and Daddy are feeling a great sense of urgency in finishing our baby preparations!

Because we only have 9 weeks or less left. 

Yes, or less. I will not be going past my due date. You can mark my words. :)

Yesterday I purchased a small shelf for Camy's room. I needed to get some kind of shelf because our shower guests were asked to bring a copy of their favorite childhood book to start Camy's library (which I am SO excited about, by the way) and we needed some place to keep all these books. The shelf I got has 6 cubes, so we got 3 canvas baskets for toy storage and will use the other 3 cubes for the books and things. 

I put the shelf together all by myself (go me!) and set it up underneath the window. It will serve as our chair-side table as well, with a lamp on top for midnight rocking/nursing sessions. [Note: Yep, we decided to put the rocker in the nursery after all. It will be a tight fit in there, but I think it will be best to have the chair in the nursery for convenience in the beginning and for establishing a bedtime routine as she gets older. We don't want to have to walk across the house with her after rocking/soothing her.]

I also picked up a beautiful frame to mat/frame this print we purchased on etsy way back when. I love it! This will hang above her dresser/changing table, with a floating ledge beneath it for her name letter blocks (obviously her blocks spell "Camryn") and any other small trinkets/decorations we may end up with. 

Now all we need to purchase is the mattress and bedding, and some kind of curtains. 

And maybe a rug. 

And a mobile.

And a lamp.

And a sound machine.

Oh, boy.

We Graduated!

... from our Childbirth and Infant Care Class.

We signed up for the 4 week class offered at our hospital so that your Daddy can see what he's in for. I wanted him to be exposed to all the labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum information as possible in hopes of him being more supportive and aware and less deer-in-headlights when its time to welcome you to the world. 

I have no doubts about how he will handle our adventure. He has taken it all very seriously and has really seemed to learn a lot! 

He did not joke around with the breathing techniques, and even asked if I wanted to practice while we were driving to Houston a couple weeks ago. And he was the best daddy in the class with the infant care portion today. He was a master swaddler and did really well with the diapering and changing clothes! I was so proud of him! :)

He's going to be such a great daddy. I can't wait to see him holding you, Baby Girl, and bundling you up and rockin' the "football hold" as he carries you around the house. 

Next up is our breastfeeding class in a couple weeks... and I know we are in for a few deer-in-the-headlight moments from your daddy that evening! :)

30 week appt

I'll start by posting some long overdue Maternity Photos we had professionally done last month. :) I love love love them, and I love love love the photographer who took them: Lyndsay Stradtner with Life in Motion Photography. Here are just a handful.... gosh, I've grown a lot since then!

We had our last monthly appointment yesterday afternoon, and all went well. Our next 3 appts will be every 2 weeks, and after that we get to see the doc every week until Baby Girl decides she's ready to grace the world with her presence.

It was a very routine, very quick appt.

Weight check:  I learned I gained 6.4 lbs in the last 3 weeks! At first I thought it was 6.4 lbs in the last month and I felt a little bad about that since I am supposed to be gaining a lb a week from here on out. Well, then I remembered that our last appt was not a month ago, it was when I fell with Syd about 3 weeks ago. Awesome. I have been gaining twice as much per week as I should. :(

Blood Pressure: A beautiful 112/80. Woohoo.

Pee in a cup: No Proteins. Woohoo.

Heartbeat Check w/ Doppler: The most wonderful sound in the world! I mentioned that her heart sounded like it was beating a lot faster than it was last time and our dr said "Well, of course it is! Last time you had just fallen on her.. she was probably a little scared or sad that day! She's a happy one today!" Oh yeah -- good point, doc. That's why you make the big bucks.. for remembering things like that and calming my crazy first-time-mama nerves. :)

Before checking her heart, doc man felt around my belly to see how she was positioned and let us know that she is already head down! Her little bum was sticking out just to the left of my belly button, and her legs were up towards my ribs on my right side. He said that while she does still have time to move, chances are she will stay head down... I sure hope so! And can I just say, I knew that little bump was her little baby bottom! She always sticks her bum out on that side.. always. Andy got a kick out of knowing that was her little bum -- all night, when he'd rub my belly he'd get a chuckle out of the way she sticks it out so far! I bet she'll be one of those babies who sleeps on her knees with her bum sticking straight up. Cute.

Then we were told what to expect as far as Braxton Hicks contrax go, and given a little lecture about staying cool and hydrated in the summer time. And silly me, once again I forgot the questions I had! I really need to start writing questions down between appts. It never fails - all is going well during our check-up and in all my excitement and relief I confidently say "Nope, no questions! We're doing good!" only to get home and remember the things I did want to ask. Ugh.

It was the easiest appt yet - we were in and out of the office in under 30 minutes (wait time and all). 

Next appt is July 8. 

Here are some (bare belly) pics for this week:

Some things that have changed as of late:

**Mama can no longer wear her rings. Still just minimal swelling, you can't even really tell just by looking at my hands -- it is just enough to make my rings super uncomfortable!

**Mama can no longer roll over in bed without it being a huge production and involving a sharp pain on my right side. Awesome.

**Mama had to ask for help up off the floor for the first time over the weekend.

**Mama can no longer bend over to pick something up off the floor, even from a sitting position.

**Mama can no longer see her ladybits without the aid of a mirror, which would be no big deal if it weren't a gajillion degrees outside thus making me want to live in my swimsuit!

Time is flying by!

• How far along?: 30 weeks.
• Total weight gain: 37 pounds. Sad, Sad, Sad. Yes, I gained 7 lbs in 2 weeks! EDIT: I have decided our home scale is evil.. at my 30 wk appt, we discovered I had not gained that much after all. 6.4 lbs in 3 weeks is better.. not great news, but better. Whew.
• How big is baby?: 16ish inches long, nearly 3 pounds! Its amazing to me that Baby Girl is only 3 1/2 inches (or so) shorter right now than Rylan was when he was born!
• Maternity clothes?: I have sworn off pants and shorts or anything that would require having elastic around my belly. I am living in dresses and comfortable skirts these days. While in the hospital with Vicky in labor, I sent Andy back to their house to get a pair of very stretchy sweat pants for me to change into because my maternity jeans just do. not. fit. anymore! Ugh.
• Stretch marks?: Belly is still free of stretch marks! Woohoo!
• Sleep?: Still struggling, though I have been waking to pee less and less, which is helpful.
• Best moment this week?:  Being with Baby Rylan and my sister, for sure! The frozen yogurt Andy and I had last night comes in a close second though! ;)
• Movement?: Her little kicks and jabs have turned into big pushes and rolls and somersaults! I think I felt hiccups for the first time this morning, too! She was just jumping (best way to describe it) very rhythmically for a few minutes.
• Food cravings?: Cheese Tots. Frozen Yogurt (after last night). Still BLTs with cheese, too. 
• Labor signs?: None. Thankfully.
• Belly button in or out?: Still sticks out at the top. I've grown to like it. :)
• What I miss: Vicky, Kevin, and Rylan! PG related: Sleep. Sex. 
• What I'm looking forward to: We have an appt tomorrow, and although I am worried I'll hear "the weight talk", I am excited to hear her heartbeat again and we will start going every 2 weeks after this one. Also looking forward to seeing Vicky and Rylan Thursday or Friday, of course!
• Milestone: 30 weeks! Eep.

I'll have belly pics to share later, as well as our maternity photos. 

A peek into our future.

During the week, while my mom is in town to help with Baby Rylan, she is referred to as "the nursery". What that means is she takes the early morning baby shift so Rylan's Mommy and Daddy can get a few good hours of sleep in before starting the day.

Well, our mom had to head back to Austin for the weekend, so that means Andy and I have stepped into "the nursery" role. 

We took Rylan around 7am this morning, and had a good 2 1/2 hours with him before he was hungry and had to go back to the Mama Buffet. 

We got a good look into what our mornings may look like in about 10 weeks... Me crashed out on the couch with a baby snoozing on my chest, or Dad stationed on the couch with the baby in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Seems pretty accurate to me! ;)

Forgive my oh-so-glamourous picture here -- I could kick Andy for not fixing my hair before taking that photo! haha, just kidding. [Kind of.] I look terrible asleep.. but love snoozing with Little Man cuddled up with me so I won't delete it! 

And, here is Andy with the baby and the remote. :)

I think Rylan enjoyed visiting with his Uncle Andy! 

While we were "on duty" we kept just looking at each other and commenting on how crazy it is to imagine that in 10ish weeks, this will be us. We can't wait to meet our sweet girl!!! 

And I certainly hope we have "a nursery" handy to help us in the early morning hours! :)

In Pregnancy News -- 

My belly/Camryn has grown SO MUCH in the last week! Andy I didn't see each other from Sunday afternoon til Friday evening, and as soon as he got here he seemed stunned at how big my belly is now. I don't usually notice from day to day, but this week its hard not to tell -- I mean, ALL of my maternity clothes are quickly becoming too tight, or too short. Its becoming harder and harder for me to get up out of bed or stand up off the couch, and I have finally reached a point where my belly is bigger than I realize when it comes to scooting around something or opening a car door -- I am constantly bumping my bump into everything these days! [Sorry for that, Camryn!]

We have our last monthly appt next week, and after that we start our biweekly appts. I cannot believe that! We are getting so close. 

Squeee!

I have been feeling pretty good these days, and for that I am very thankful! 

New belly pic coming soon!

Your Cousin, Rylan Cooper

With a little over 11 weeks left before your due date, Camryn, I was lucky enough to be present for your cousin Rylan's birth.

I have read many books and websites about childbirth. Your daddy and I enrolled in a childbirth class.  I have read birth stories from online forums and heard birth stories from family and friends... but nothing quite compares to being there from start to finish with my sister while she delivered her first baby.

Even seeing all she went through, and hearing her thoughts on the process (without leaving out any gruesome details!!), I still don't feel at all prepared for the day I will deliver you.

I am excited for that day. 

I am anxious for you to be here.. to see what you look like, to hold you in my arms, to be able to kiss your sweet face and watch you sleep and stir and stretch your tiny arms.... 

I really am excited.

And scared.

Well, terrified, really. 

Your Aunt V was due on 6/14 (I thought 6/12 but I didn't realize they had pushed it back a couple days). 

On Thurs 6/11, she left work around lunch to start her maternity leave early because she was having recurring back pain that she thought may be early labor.

The back pain stopped sometime that afternoon and she said she felt great on Friday, hardly even felt pregnant (which would have been great any other time during the pregnancy, but by that point she was eager to get the show on the road!). 

Your Daddy and I got to Houston Friday evening and sat around visiting for a while, excited to be spending their last weekend pre-parenthood with them. She was set to be admitted to the hospital Sunday evening to start Cervidil overnight and Pitocin Monday morning. 

Saturday morning we all schlepped around the house in our PJ's being lazy, and just after lunch she told me she was leaking fluid, and she wasn't sure if it was her water breaking or not. 

I wanted her to call her doctor or go in for an ffn test.. but because she was having absolutely no contractions, she decided to wait it out a little bit and see what happens.

We went about our plans - pedicures with our mom, a last minute run to Target for a few things she needed to pack in her hospital bag, etc. When we finished our trip to Target, we got in the car to head home and she said she was still leaking. 

Again, I said I would call the dr if I were her... but she wasn't concerned enough to do so and didn't want to be sent home for a false alarm. 

By the time we went to bed that night, she had soaked through 4 pairs of panties/pads!! We all (my mom, your Daddy and I) went to bed that night fully-clothed with our bedroom doors open just convinced we'd be dashing to the hospital sometime in the late night hours.

We were wrong. No such luck.

I crawled into bed with her for a few minutes in the morning, and we just chatted for a few minutes before I left the room so she could try to get some more rest. Not 5 minutes later she casually walked into the kitchen and said "I think its time to go". Apparently she had gotten up to go the restroom and had her 'bloody show'. We all sprung into motion, dashing around the house finding shoes and keys and wallets before she casually said "You know, I think I'll take a shower first". 

WHAT?! Are you sure?? Okay, fine, but make it a quick one!

Your Daddy and I decided to go ahead and go so we could pick up breakfast for everyone on the way to the hospital, and by the time we had kolaches in hand and were en route to the hospital, I got a text from my mom saying "5 minutes apart!!!". 

Wow! She went from not having ANY contractions, not a single Braxton Hicks, to contractions coming 5 minutes apart (this started in the shower). 

She went up to L&D and they took her into the triage room to check her.. they asked her to change into a gown in the bathroom and while she was in there her water really broke.. not just a slow leak anymore.  She came out of the bathroom and apologized for making a mess on their floor... the nurse took one look at it and said "That's amniotic fluid, no need to check you - let's get you a room!". 

She was admitted at 915am and was still only 1cm dilated (as she was the week before) but the nurse said her cervix was paper thin.

The fact that her water started leaking the day before and she hadn't called or come in to be checked really baffled the nurse! I guess they are used to getting first time moms who come in for (seemingly) no reason.. and here she was with her water broken and didn't even call. ;) She's a rockstar like that, your aunt.

Because it had been so long since her leak started, they wanted to get the Pitocin going pretty soon so they could move things along, so they gave her a bag of IV fluids in preparation for the Epi and Pit. 

They started her epidural around 11 (much to her relief, those contractions were looking very painful!!!) and started her Pitocin soon after. I'm not sure of the unit they measured the Pitocin drip, but they started at a 6 and increased by 6 every half hour or so. By 215 the Pitocin was at 42 and the nurse checked her progress to find she was now dilated to 6cm! 

Around 230 she started feeling some pelvic pressure and the nurse realized they never gave her the "epi button" to boost the epidural every so often. They attached the button, pressed it and told her if she was still feeling pressure/pain in another 15-20 minutes to call the nurse back. They checked her again before the nurse left the room and she proudly exclaimed "7 cm and the baby's coming down a lot more!". YAY!

Pushed the epi button again at 245 but by this point she was feeling pain with every contraction, where as before we would have to tell her she was even having one. Called the nurse back just after 3 and at 311 the nurse said she was fully dilated to 1o cm! HOLY COW! She went from 1 to 6, 7, 10 in a matter of an hour! 

They started doing "test pushes" at 324. I'm not really sure what differentiates a "test push" from a REAL push, because they certainly seemed like real pushes to me!!! 

The on-call doctor (who we didn't love) came in at 345 and the broke the bed down, wheeled in all the carts of things they would need (including the baby scale, so exciting!!), and got down to business.

Rylan was born at 401 pm (37 minutes of pushing) weighing in at 7lbs even, 19 1/2 inches long. 

I will save the gory details of the delivery, but will say I sat wide-eyed for a while.. taking in the scene from a stool in the corner of the room up by V's head.

We found out very shortly after delivery that the dr had to do a "partial 3rd degree episiotomy" (where "partial" apparently means "almost"). Ouch. 

Rylan's APGARs were 9 and 9, and he clearly had very healthy lungs, as proven by his beautiful wailing. 

I stuck around to take a few quick pictures of their first couple minutes as a family of 3, then everyone left the room for them to have some bonding time to themselves. 

It was truly an amazing experience for me to be there for his entrance into the world. 

Amazing. 

And terrifying. 

I just cannot wrap my mind around the idea that that will be ME in 11 weeks or less. 

Wow. 

I hope I handle labor and delivery as well as she did!!! She did AWESOME. Not one scream. No profanity. No threats of bodily injury directed towards her husband (or anyone else). She did great.

Rylan is a handsome, perfect, sweet little man. 

He is eating well (though his mama is in pain!), he is sleeping quite a bit (though not always at night), he has spent quite a bit of time alert taking in the new world he's a part of, and he is the world's sweetest cuddle bug (at least until you come along, sweet girl). 

I am so in love with this precious babe, and can only imagine how much greater the feeling of awe and admiration will be with you, my daughter. 

Being here for his arrival, for his first few days home, his first pediatrician's appointment, his first bath -- all these things have taught me a thing or two about the way I will need to handle things at home when you are here, Camy. It has helped me make some of the decisions I've been pondering, and made me rethink some of the decisions I thought I had already made. 

It has been a great crash course in Mommyhood for me. I am so thankful to have been able to walk along side my sister on her journey, so thankful that we got to experience our first pregnancies together, so thankful she will there walking me through my delivery, and HUGELY thankful that you will have a cousin so close in age to grow up with and share your life experiences with.

I hope you and Rylan are able to develop a strong bond. 

I hope you will always be the best of buds. And love and trust each other as much as your Aunt and I do. 

I can't wait for you two to meet. To celebrate the holidays with the both of you. To watch you both grow. 

I couldn't have imagined a scenario better than this for the way our 2 families would grow. 

Lonely

Good evening my sweet girl.

I keep hearing or reading that 'what Mommy feels, Baby feels'.. and if there is any truth to that statement, then I need to apologize to you.

You have been on quite the emotional roller coaster with Mommy the last few days!

We have gone from excited anticipation of your cousin's birth [story to follow soon], to awe and admiration of your Aunt's strength throughout labor and delivery, to joy and pride and love for your new cousin, to a feeling of loneliness and sadness over missing your Daddy.

We spent Friday afternoon on the road to Houston once more.

We spent Friday evening visiting with Aunt V & Uncle K and your Nona.

We spent Saturday eagerly overanalyzing your Aunt's every move and twitch and breath, just waiting for her to go into labor.

We spent Saturday night tossing and turning, trying to get at least some sleep although we were convinced we'd be heading to the hospital before sunrise (we were wrong).

We spent early Sunday morning worrying about your Aunt and pressuring her to call her doctor... until she announced to us that "It's time to go". 

We spent Sunday day sitting in the Labor and Delivery room, doing all we could to help Aunt V through the process, all the while taking bets on when baby Rylan would arrive.

We spent Sunday evening in awe over the perfect little creature who has become a part of our lives now.

We finally got some sleep Sunday night, before spending the day Monday getting to know said perfect creature.

Now here we are, an hour shy of midnight Monday night. 

Laying in the game room of Aunt V's home, alone.. sad.. homesick.

Overjoyed for Baby Rylan's safe homecoming.

Excited for the week ahead and all the memories to be made.

But sadly wishing your Daddy could have spent the week here with us, too.

He had to go back home to Austin this afternoon because we cannot afford for him to miss a week of work.

I thought the excitement over the new baby would distract me from the fact that I'll be "alone" the next 4ish days. But I was wrong.

Not only do I want your Daddy here for me (yes, I am selfish like that).. I also wish he could be here to see all these firsts with Rylan.

In 11 short weeks (or less) you will be here with us. 

It will be your Daddy and I that will have a whole new perspective on life, and be full of all the questions and concerns first-time-parents all have. 

It will be us learning how to adjust our lives to accommodate our outside baby.

It will be us sleeping in short spurts between baby feedings and diaper changes and just moments staring at the little life we have created.

I want him here to be apart of these memories with your cousin, and also here to see what we're in for soon.

I want him here to play with my hair and 'tickle my back' until I fall asleep. 

To cuddle me when I wake in the middle of the night, like he will cuddle you in a couple short months, too. 

To talk to you before bed and tell both of us how much he loves us before we tuck in for the night.

To wake up and rub my belly, trying to see which side you nestled into while we slept. 

I miss your Daddy being here. 

I don't know if I'll make it the whole week without him. 

But Baby Girl, feeling you move in there reminds me of how much love we have for each other. Of the life we made, of the life we'll love... of you and our future growing with you.

Do you miss your Daddy's voice when you don't hear him for a while?

Do you miss your Daddy's touch? Can you tell when its your Daddy's hand feeling for you, and not mine? [Daddy thinks so, because you always stop kicking when he puts his hand on my belly!]

I hope you know how much your Daddy loves you, how much your Mommy loves you -- and that the intense love we've always had for each other has grown exponentially with you now a part of our world.

28 weeks.

• How far along?: 28 weeks.
• Total weight gain: 30 freaking pounds. Good grief!
• How big is baby?: About 2 1/2 lbs and 15ish inches head to toe.
• Maternity clothes?: I have just a couple prePG t-shirts I can still get by wearing, but nearly everything else is maternity. I did discover that sometime I can find cute tops that aren't maternity and just buy a larger size. So hooray for that!
• Stretch marks?: Belly is still stretch-mark-free, boobs are still covered.
• Sleep?: Its been getting more and more difficult for me to even fall asleep, and I rarely get a solid 3 hour stretch. I am still waking every night sometime around 3 am and it usually takes about an hour for my to finally doze off again. :(
• Best moment this week?: So far I guess the best moment would be taking the pics with my sister before we headed back home. We wanted pics of our bellies together because that will likely be the last time we are pregnant together! 
• Movement?: Still feeling her big, pronounced movements several times a day, but she does seem to have slowed down a bit on the moving and shaking. Its fun to sit and watch my belly dance, and its a little strange (but neat!) to see a limb move across my belly or a hand/foot/bum stick way out on one side. 
• Food cravings?: BLT with avocado and cheese. Yum. I want them all. the. time. And root beer floats. Yum Yum. 
• Labor signs?: Thankfully, no. But there have now been 3 instances where I think I was having BH contractions. 
• Belly button in or out?: If I'm standing, still just the top half sticks out. When I am laying down, its perfectly flat.
• What I miss: Deep Sleep. Mexican Martinis. Walking across the house or to the mailbox without getting winded. 
• What I'm looking forward to: Baby Rylan will be here with us sometime in the next 6 days, at most!
• Milestone: Third Trimester! YIKES!

I know every week I say that I can't believe we've made it this far, and this week is no exception. 

28 weeks just blows my mind. I am so grateful to be able to carry my baby girl, to help her grow and develop in there, to feel her kicks and punches, and to hear at every appointment so far that she is healthy and right on track. What a blessing she is. What a miracle.  And my how time is flying!!! 12 more weeks. Just 12. This 40 week journey is 2/3 over and I am just in awe of that. 

I forgot to update after my routine appt around 27 weeks - so the quick rundown is that I passed my Glucose Screen (YAY!) but my iron levels came back even lower than they were last time (BOO!). I now have to up my iron supp dosage to twice a day. Ugh. Camryn's heart was beating strong and fast, and my fundal height measured exactly where it should have: 26 1/2 cm for 26 1/2 weeks. We were given an explanation of kick counts (that I can start doing today if I feel I need to), and told to really be cautious with the summer heat and staying hydrated and rested. 

Last week A and I attended our first Child Birth Class (its a 4 class series) and it was interesting. We have a very small class, just us and 3 other couples, and I don't know how I feel about that yet. After making the introductions around the room, we got right into breathing techniques. We were told to grab our pillows and find a spot against the wall to get comfortable. We went over 3 different breathing patterns - one 4 second pattern for early labor, one 2 second pattern for when it gets a little more intense, and one combo 2 second/panting pattern for the transition period (the most painful part). The instructor would walk us through a couple one-minute-"contractions" then she would ask the husbands to coach the wives through a couple sets. She would count up to four for the inhale and then down from four for the exhale - "In, 2, 3, 4... Out, 3, 2, 1" - but in Andy's mind, he wanted to count up to four for the inhale and then up to four for the exhale. So when it was the husband's turn to coach, it would throw him off to hear people counting down on the exhale so he would jumble the numbers trying to catch up to everyone else. It was hilarious, but I was trying so hard to just breathe and not bust out laughing (remember - small class, everyone would have noticed I was giggling!!). As we were walking to our car after the class ended, Andy very nonchalantly said "Babe, I think I need to work on my counting" and I just busted up laughing. :)

Other than the breathing techniques, we were shown some posters of the changes a pregnant body goes through - and it was amazing to see the pre-PG cross-section of the body and all the organs and then the progression all the way up to the 40 week cross-section - seeing how little room there is at that point for the intestines and the stomach and the bladder, and seeing the lungs all squished up -- no wonder everyone complains about being so miserable in the end! It was also interesting to see that way the lower back gets pulled in to account for the belly sticking out so much - explains the horrible back pain I've been having. Maybe now that Andy physically saw the changes I am facing, he will understand a little more when I cry about my back or my hips or my chest hurting!! Not that he isn't supportive, because he has been amazing, but I am glad he will know now that I am not being dramatic - everything is effected when that belly grows!!! 

One thing I really liked that evening at class, that doesn't really pertain to the class itself, is just before everyone was leaving, a lullaby played over the speakers of the hospital and the instructor pointed out that they do that every time a baby is born! How sweet. :) I love that!!! 

Camryn, Sweet Girl, Happy 28 weeks!!! I am so happy you are still in there growing and kicking. Here's to another happy, healthy week with my Baby Girl!! 

Long Update [Attitudes, Road Trips, and Pregnant Husbands]

Oh, baby girl. 

This pregnancy is such an adventure for us. 

We spent 4 hours last Wednesday (June 3) hooked up to a contraction monitor and a heartrate monitor in the Labor and Delivery wing of the hospital. You know, the one where we spent so much time in January and February!

This trip wasn't your fault though, we can thank your cousin Syd for this one.

I know you can hear voices now, and when you are born you will recognize the voices you've been hearing on a daily basis. Well, I have no doubt you will recognize Sydnee's squeals of disapproval - we hear them several times a day. 

Before Wednesday's afternoon nap, however, Syd didn't think a squeal would quite get her point across. She wanted me to really *know* she wasn't ready for nap, so when I picked her up to carry her to bed, she threw herself backwards, arching her back. 

It knocked me off balance and as I began to fall, I worried about knocking her head on the wood floor. I am not sure how exactly I contorted myself, but I caught myself on my left hand and left knee, and still had Syd in front of me holding her with my right arm. She must have had her feet straight out, because I somehow landed on her feet/legs - getting a hard kick to the belly in the process. I did keep her from hitting her head though, so I suppose it was mission accomplished. 

It hurt Mommy right away, but I stood up and took her to her bed before going to lay on the couch for a few minutes. 

I was having constant pain in my belly (I mean, I was just kicked pretty hard!) but no signs of anything terrible - no cramping, no bleeding or leaking fluid, etc. I was debating whether or not I should call your daddy but I didn't want to worry him, but your Nona called a few minutes later to ask me something.

I told her what happened and she assured me that everything was probably fine but said that I should go ahead and call my doctor. At that point I called your daddy and he agreed - he thought I should have already called the doctor by that point.

I really expected the OB nurse to say to lay down for a little while and take it easy and give me a few red flags to look for, but nope - instead she said "How quickly can you get here?".  She asked me a bunch of questions, including if I had felt you move since the fall. I told her I had not, but it had only been about 30 minutes so I wasn't too concerned about it.  She still wanted me to come in. I was shocked that it seemed like such a big deal, but I know its better to be safe than sorry, so I called Nona to come get Sydnee and called your daddy to come home and take me in to the doctor.

By the time we got to the doctor, a little over an hour since the fall, I still hadn't felt you move and was still in pain, so that's when I started getting worried. I was called back rather quickly and saw the doctor almost right away (compared to the usually longer waits for routine appts!). I was relieved that he was able to pick up your strong heartbeat on the doppler right away, and thought "Great! Baby Camryn is just fine. Thanks Doc. We'll be going now.. have a great night!" but I was wrong again. My doctor explained that a fall onto my belly is considered a "minor trauma" and automatically requires 4 hours of monitoring at L&D.

On one hand I was shocked and disappointed that our night would be spent strapped to another bed in L&D but on the other hand, I still hadn't felt you move and was relieved that we'd be able to really make sure you were okay. 

We walked over to the hospital, were sent up to L&D and admitted to the very same room I had to stay overnight in during 1st Tri. We had my favorite nurse (Anita) and she got us all hooked up to the 2 monitors.  The contraction monitor sat up high on my belly, and the heartrate monitor was placed just below and to the right of my belly button... after about 10 minutes with the monitors on, you got MAD. You did NOT like them one bit. You gave me the hardest kick you have ever given me, right at the heartrate monitor. You made my whole belly jump enough that your daddy could see it from across the room! And man that kick was loud over the monitor speaker (at the computer). Not 10 seconds later you kicked it again, and again, and again... enough that the nurse had to reposition it to get a good reading of your heart! 

Over the course of that 4 hours, you never did get used to it being there. You would be calm and quiet for a few minutes, then get angry that we clearly weren't following your wishes and start kicking right at it again. 

I was so relieved to feel your strong kicks, and so amused at your little show. I hate to say it, but it sounds like you've already inherited a little bit of your mommy's attitude. :) I'm sure your daddy is pleased. 

As much as I originally felt like 4 hours in the hospital would be a nuisance, I have to admit that it was kind of nice to get to hear your heartbeat all evening. 

I didn't register any contractions on the monitor, and your heartrate stayed in the 130s-140s most of the time (right in the middle of the normal range) so we were released around 9pm and I was told to just take it easy for the next few days and call if anything changes (if I start cramping, bleeding or leaking, if I feel a decrease in movement, or if the pain doesn't go away by the weekend). I was pretty sore the next day when I would bend over or twist a certain way, but the pain was no worse than a pulled or fatigued muscle. By Friday, all was pretty much back to normal.. just in time for us to head to Houston to visit with your Aunt Vicky and go to your Uncle Tim's High School Graduation. :)

We had a great time in Houston this weekend! It was (likely) the last time that me and your Aunt Vicky will ever be pregnant together (Rylan is due any time now!!). Its kind of crazy to think about that. I remember when she still lived at home before she graduated and when I was in 4th and 5th grade thinking she was just the coolest sister ever (even though she despised having her pesky little sister around!). I would sneak into her room when she wasn't home and go through her clothes and lay on her bed and just be in awe of her awesome room! It wasn't until I hit high school that we started getting a lot closer, and now here we are -- years later, happily married adults starting our families, and we get to share this experience with each other! It makes me even more excited about all that we have in store for us, knowing that I get to face this parenting adventure with her and you get to grow up with cousins so close to your age. We are truly blessed, sweet girl, by your presence in our lives and by our families being such a big part of this adventure.

At this point your cousin Rylan seems a little to comfortable incubating. He is due on Friday (just 4 short days) but Aunt V is still only 1cm dilated and "thinning out" (same progress as last week). If Rylan doesn't decide he's ready to grace the world with his presence this week, V will be admitted to L&D Sunday evening to be induced. If that's the case, we will head back down to Houston on Saturday to spend the last day prebaby with Vicky and Kevin and hopefully help ease her nerves/anxiety, and Mommy will be staying the majority of the week there to help out and get to know Rylan. You treated me pretty well in the car this past weekend, so I hope you do the same next weekend as well! 

Before I go, I have to share these pictures. Vicky was 39w2d and I was 27w5d.

This first one is from Tim's graduation, I don't even look pregnant with that dress on! [Long story short about that - unfortunately he got very sick right before the graduation ceremony, vomiting with a very high fever of 104 at one point, so Nona had to take him to the ER and he didn't get to walk the stage. He was very disappointed, but we are still very proud of his accomplishment, whether he walked or not.]

This one was right before your daddy and I were heading back home. We wanted to take a picture of the 2 pregnant bellies together, but neither of us had showered yet - so they aren't the most beautiful photos, sorry!

Your daddy and your Uncle Kevin were cutting up and making jokes about our big bellies, so we subjected them to the same treatment -- back to back belly shots of their "sympathy bumps". It was hysterical. 

Here's another one of me and V - we didn't know Andy was taking that photo, but I like the way it turned out. 

And one more just for good measure.

You know, I have felt so HUGELY pregnant the last few weeks, but being around Vicky at 39weeks made me realize how far I still have to go. I cannot imagine what it will be like when I have a belly like that one! Yikes.