Baby Showers Galore!

Our sweet church family threw us a baby shower on May 21st. I am so thankful to my precious hostesses who completely outdid themselves with the food and decorations. Doesn't everything look just beautiful! And it was all so delicious too. A huge thank you to Hallie, Ruth, Brenda, Sara, Laura Lee, and Monica for all the effort they put into making me feel so special and showing Christ's love to our growing family!

I had to also include a pic of the invitation because it was just so precious.

I was especially thankful to have so many members of our family attend this shower. Robert's mom and sisters all made long trips from South Carolina and Kentucky with their families to be with us to celebrate. It was wonderful to not only have them there for this special time but to have their immeasurable help with setting up the nursery, sorting through gifts, and making sure everything was all set for Trey's arrival. We made so much progress in one weekend it was unbelievable. Between this shower and another my sweet colleagues at work threw the day before, we had so many great gifts for Trey to put out and set up.

I was also so glad to have my mom, Big Mama (grandmother), and David's sweet girlfriend Emily (who made the trip from Tuscaloosa) there. I love these family shots Monica took for us.

While posting all these shower pics I've discovered it's really hard to have pictures made of you while opening gifts and not end up looking like your mouth is wide open the whole time! Let's just say I was giving lots of "ohhs" and "ahhs" over all the precious things Trey received!

Trey's Aunt Rebecca got him his first little backpack with his name monogrammed and with little airplanes to match his daddy, and Trey's MiMi gave him this precious stuffed elephant with his named monogrammed on the ear, which is currently hanging out in his crib waiting on him.

We got so many cute burp clothes and great books and lots of wonderful other items. I am so grateful to our sweet church family for truly showering us with blessings - not just physical but with the prayers, encouragement, love, advice, and support they have shown the past eight months and will no doubt continue to show as we embark on parenthood.

Oh, and I just love the wipe case and custom shoes Trey's Aunt Liz made for him. Perfect for gameday!

Thank you sweet church family (and your adorable kiddos) for coming out to the shower!

 

T minus 20 days (aka, 36 week update)

Had our 36 week doctor's appointment today and my OB officially set our induction date for June 29th!

Holy moly.

We're going to have a real, live, hungry, needy, cute, little, baby - outside of the womb - in 20 days! Let the official countdown begin.

We are very thankful for another good report. Trey again passed his BPP ultrasound test, moving enough to make them happy with his viability even though he was mostly asleep the whole time. He was doing the cutest thing swallowing in his sleep though. It was so neat to see it on the ultrasound. He's head down and basically crammed in there from head to toe. Not much room to move around these days.

My amniotic fluid levels were again good. So was my blood pressure. This was also the first time I've had a vaginal exam during pregnancy - to check for dilation. Let's just say there was none. I think the word "closed" was used one more than one occasion. I gained two more pounds this week to total 152. Which is actually right at 30 over pre-pregnancy weight. (I did the match wrong on the l35 week post and was only 28 pounds above pre-pregnancy last week.)

And here's the 36 week pic of the ginormous belly...scratch that...baby. Next week they'll take his measurements during the ultrasound so we'll get an idea of just how much he's weighing in at two weeks before birth.



On the home front I made major progress this week in getting ready for his arrival. Mostly because I started freaking out after feeling different pains and pressures down there. (Not sure they were contractions but maybe just pains from him dropping; can't really tell if he has but regardless things are feeling a little different these days.) Of course, it could be related to the four miles I walked Tuesday night, after which I was pretty sure I was going to die. There was definitely some prayer that I would make it to the end of the trail and back to my car without my legs falling off. I think it's just getting harder to carry the extra weight for that long, so I'm probably going to have to adjust my exercise routine to less activity more regularly.

Regardless, as of Tuesday night our bags are now packed and ready to go.

Detailed the car this weekend. (Only to have it randomly egged while parked on our street in front of our house! Seriously, who does that? Needless to say, the outside also got a good cleaning this week.) And installed the carseat!

We also had our list childbirth class this week. Monday night we took an Infant CPR course at UAB, actually a seperate course offered independently of the childbirth class series. It was Robert's idea and was probably the best $10 we've ever spent. I hope we never have to use it but I'm so glad to now at least be prepared. It only lasted about an hour and a half, and we even brought home the blow-up doll so we can practice if we need too. Or if any of you parents to be out there want to borrow it you just let me know. I'm sure you can find the American Heart Association practice videos online.

We've ordered a new camera since we're actually going to have someone cute to take pics of, which should be arriving from Amazon tomorrow.

Robert is picking up our long-awaited rocker and ottoman tomorrow, so the last piece of the nursery will be complete, and then I promise I will post nursery pics this weekend! (Just had to wait until it was "finished"!)

T minus 20 days!

Robert S. Adams, Jr., PE

It's official! My smart and dedicated husband is now a Professional Engineer licensed by the State of Alabama. His PE card came in the mail today. We actually found out a couple of weeks ago when he received his letter notifying him that he has passed the PE exam he took back in early April. He told me by texting me the pic below several fridays ago when I was at work. Once I realized what the letter was, I was freaking out trying to scan for the word "passed" in the pic on my iphone and then was so excited to see that he did, indeed, pass.



We're not only so grateful that he passed but also thankful to just know the results. We weren't sure if we'd find out before the baby came since these things can take months to report back. This is a major professional accomplishment for Robert, and it's nice to have it complete before we roll into the stage of parenthood. You have to work under a licensed PE for four years before you are even eligible to take the test. Plus you have to have successfully passed the FE test. Luckily Robert passed the FE right before receiving his undergraduate degree at UA. Just this spring he became eligible to take the PE, and he studied so long and hard and faithfully for months on end to prepare. I'm so grateful the Lord blessed his efforts. Proud of you, Rob!

35 weeks

I haven't been the best at posting pics of my growing belly. It's frankly getting a little too large to fit into the camera frame. But, for your viewing pleasure, here are the pics from 34 and 35 weeks respectively.





It's a good thing you can't see my feet because they've become quite the swollen mess these days. Good thing Robert loves me unconditionally because one look at my "Shrek feet" (as my friend Christina fondly dubbed her swollen preggers feet) is a crazy scary sight. Maybe it's the 99+ degree weather, or the fact that I now weigh a whopping 150 pounds (32 over pre-pregnancy weight), or maybe it's just that this is par for the course at 8 months pregnant. But there's one thing for sure, I'll definitely be glad to have my normal feet and body back in two to four weeks.

That's our new catch phrase now - "two to four weeks" - because we're on the official countdown. Basically, Trey could be here in as early as two weeks (if he comes on his own, aka I go into labor, anytime after 37 weeks) and no later than four weeks from now if we end up with an induction at 39 weeks.

I can definitely tell a big difference in my ability to handle pregnancy that came on somewhere in week 34/35. It's much harder to get though a work day these days. There seems to be a whole new level of fatigue that pretty much lasts 24 hours, and carrying him is honestly just harder - because let's face it, little buddy is heavy! The swelling of the feet doesn't help either - but it is a nice excuse to prop up your feet on the couch after a long day at the office. Again, this is probably all normal for this stage, but it did catch me by surprise how "useless" (My words, not Robert's) I became almost overnight. Good thing most of our baby prep is done because I don't think I'd have the energy to tackle it now.

Honestly, I'm just ready for him to be here. To meet our sweet little man, for sure, but also to finally not be pregnant any more. Which is a pretty amazing thing considering the concept of giving birth has been mostly freaking me out during the majority of the pregnancy. I think the swollen feet, fatigue, and other symptoms you have in the last weeks of pregnancy definitely get you ready to say, "Sure, I'll push that 7 plus pound baby out of my vagina. That's a completely rational idea, doc." Talk about an attitude transformation.

But funnies aside, we are mostly just so thankful that we continue to have good weekly reports from the doctor. I had my 35 week appointment yesterday and Trey continues to look great (kicking up a storm, good heart rate and breathing, etc.). I'm really not worried about him because of all the activity he always has. I feel him move so often. My amniotic fluid levels were good and so was my blood pressure. As I mentioned, a little swelling (really just in the feet - and more so the right foot than the left - which Robert's dad says is actually normal because of the way the uterus puts more pressure on your right artery; also, Trey is situated on my right side, still head down thankfully) started settling in last week and is pretty much here to stay, but it does go down, thankfully.

I have been staying active as much as possible. My sweet friend Katie Crawford (20 weeks pregnant with a baby girl!) is keeping me on the walking trail! We did 5 miles last Saturday which almost wiped me out but I'm determined to keep it up when I can. Haven't been as faithful this week since I've been fighting a cold and wasn't taking any meds until the doc yesterday said to go for it. It's so nice to now be able to breath!

We are actually feeling really good about being ready (as ready as you can be) for Trey. His nursery is complete aside from the rocker/ottoman, which we should be able to pick up this weekend. I need to do a couple more loads of laundry for him (new clothes from the baby showers), and Robert put his swing and bouncy seat together this week. We got the car seat and plan to give the cars a good clean this weekend so we can run by the Homewood fire station and have them install the car seat bases for us.

My other goal this weekend is to go ahead and pack our bags. It's probably time we had them ready to go by the door...just in case.

Ryan's Graduation

My baby brother Ryan graduated high school last week. I was nine was he was born and remember going to the OB appointment with my mom the day we found out he was a boy. It's amazing how time flies when the youngest - who happens to be the tallest - leaves the nest to take off for college. We are so proud of Ryan and the young man he has become and his heart for the Lord. He has lots to look forward to in Tuscaloosa for the next four years, and I know he'll be a great uncle to Trey. I remember when David graduated high school four years ago and I leaned over to Robert and said, "We'll probably have a baby by the time Ryan graduates."And low and behold we almost do!

Ryan's graduation, coupled with the fact of being (and feeling) every bit of 35 weeks pregnant, and that this week UA torn down the dorm I lived in my sophomore year of college, has me feeling a bit old these days.

Nothing like a graduation celebration dinner with the family at Stix to cheer you up. Turns out you get extra food for being pregnant if your Japanese chef is nice, so clearly we should have been hitting that place up for the past eight months.

Here's Ryan getting his diploma from his principal.

We always gave Ryan a hard time because Kyle and I both won the principal's award (or whatever they called it) at Clay-Chalkville our senior years (me mostly for being a nerd; Kyle mostly for being cool, nice, and useful and always helping the administrators with their technology problems). David was just always big man on campus who everyone loved, and so we always told Ryan he had a lot to live up to to uphold the family tradition of being tight with the administration. Turns out he and Mr. Laney are pretty tight. We may have won the award but Ryan somehow gets his principal to pick up his tab at Waffle House as a random act of kindness kinda thing. Go figure. Actually, I probably take a free meal at Waffle House over a dusty award mom has in the attic anyday, so maybe Ryan's on to something.

Here's "Sunshine" (as his friends have been calling him due to the long hair - a reference to that quarterback from California in the movie Remember the Titans) with mom and dad. He says he's keeping it long until his mission trip to Costa Rica this summer so he can get authentic dreds, then he's shaving it off.

And with David, Emily, and Big Mama (I swear Kyle was there - not sure where he was when we took the pic.)

Congrats, Midge! We're proud of you!

34 Week Update

34 weeks today. Hard to believe we only have just over a month to go until we get to meet Trey!

I'm on my weekly schedule with my doctor's appointments, and yesterday Trey "passed" his Bio -Physical Profile (BPP) ultrasound screening that we'll also have done weekly until he comes. That basically means he scored well in his movement category (he's an active little guy), and his breathing and heartrate stats were good too. My blood pressure is still looking good and my amniotic fluid levels were normal, so we got an "all-clear" for this week.

I need to blog about the two super-fun baby showers we had this past weekend and lots of fun times with family in town to help celebrate his coming arrival. More pics and details to come about that...

We also have made major progress on his nursery with his bedding and drapes now in place. I LOVE them! Will wait to post pics of the finished product once the rocker/ottoman arrives, hopefully by this weekend or sometime next week, so you can get the full effect.

32/33 Week Update

Yesterday we had my "almost 33 weeks" OB appointment.

Trey was 4.5 pounds (at two days shy of 33 weeks) and is doing well. His growth is on target. He's measuring somewhere between the 55th and 60th percentile in growth - so shaping up to look like a good, healthy, average baby.

They are going to start seeing me weekly beginning next week. Because of my connective tissue disease, I have an elevated risk of stillbirth in the third trimester, so we will have targeted ultrasounds to look for specific biomarkers every week from here on out to test him to make sure he is breathing okay, moving okay, etc. Basically, these tests will ensure that he's not in distress. The ultrasounds could take up to 30 minutes each time because they have to grade him on the four factors they are testing (breathing, movement, can't remember the other two at the moment...). So needless to say, they are watching the little guy closely in this final stage, and for that we are grateful. They will also moniter my amniotic fluid level to make sure that's on target as well.

And, my doc pretty much said that if all still looks good she would likely induce me at 39 weeks because waiting until 40 weeks and especially waiting until 41 weeks further increases the risk for a stillbirth, a chance she doesn't really want to take.

SO, looks like chances are good we are having a June baby and not a July baby - but we're just going to play it by ear, week to week, for now. One week is not a huge deal, and of course he could come on his own much earlier than that, but for some reason thinking "June baby" vs. "July baby" is a big change for me. I think I was in a little bit of shock leaving the doctor and had to reprocess this new date in my head. Of course, by the end of the day yesterday Robert and I were both gearing up for "T minus 6 weeks" until we get to meet our little man - if not before. That's certainly exciting, even if I have to be induced. Which, again, is not a huge deal - just not exactly what I was expecting. But we're all about being flexible these days.

If I am induced, I have a higher likelihood of needing a c-section because I didn't go into labor naturally, mainly because it's my first pregnancy. But my doctor said the more walking I do and activity I keep up in the next six weeks the better my chance of having my labor progress naturally even if they do induce - and thus less likely the c-section.

So here's to trying to keep staying active in the last seven (strike that, six) weeks! And here's to being thankful for my sweet friends Katie Crawford, Anna Kathryn Ellis, and Pam Kwena for walking the Lakeshore trail with me faithfully for the past several weeks and months and sometimes pushing me the entire 5 miles (down and back) because all that has been good for me and baby - and apparently we need to keep it up for as long as I am able. Warning: I may turn in to less of a talking "walking buddy" and more of a really good listener - primarily because I'm out of breath! And thanks to other sweet friends who have now promised to be my walking buddies.

Oh, and we did have an ultrasound yesterday with another chance to see our little man in 4D, as you can see from his little picture at the top of this post. He's still head down (hallelujah for being in the birthing position already) but had his little head tucked to the side, of course with his arms right up by his face the whole time so it was a little difficult to get a good profile shot. He's basically crammed in there. Good thing he's flexible (as evidenced by another 2D shot where you can see his toes are touching his forehead as his feet are extended straight up (knees flexed) pushing against the top of my uterus and hence my ribs, lungs, etc.).

Yep, flexibility is good because his personal quarters are about to get even tighter in the next seven... (strike that, six...) weeks as he packs on the pounds in preparation fo his big debut.