38 Weeks Pregnant: Waiting for Kammy

I am so ready for Kamryn to come and join our family!! At my last OB appointment the doctor said I was 1 cm dilated and 90% effaced and that she could come any time now. Both my mom and Jeff predict she will decide to come on Thanksgiving which is like, four days from now!!! I would be okay with that haha :) I'm just really hoping she doesn't come tomorrow or Tuesday because I am taking my finals those days and going into labor while filling in those little bubbles on the Scantron is not quite how I'd like to finish my semester. But, you never know. After Tuesday, all I have to worry about is just resting, focusing on getting ready for Kamryn and doing the last minute preparations.

I have been feeling super tired recently and have been taking advantage of the fact that I can just nap here and there. I know this won't be the case when the baby gets here so I'm enjoying that freedom now. Also, the lower back pain is getting to the point where it is just annoying now. It really hurts and has limited my ability to do just about everything, which frustrates me to no end. I HATE having to ask people to do things for me because I like to get them done myself but these days I have a hard time doing the smallest of things like picking something up off the floor that I have dropped. And I definitely can't put on my own socks...I don't even want to go into detail about the size of my feet, I'll just scare people and they don't even look like feet anymore haha.

So, our hospital bag is packed and patiently waiting by the front door for us. The carseat is installed and ready for Kammy...I love looking at it in my backseat and can't wait til she's in there! Her bassinet is right next to my side of the bed all ready for her and her closet is full of adorable little outfits just waiting to be worn. It won't be long now :)

Update: Coming Up on 37 Weeks Pregnant

wow...i have been such a slacker!! So much has been going on these past few weeks that I can barely keep up with myself...haha. I would love for either one of two things to happen: either a few more hours be added to the day or an extra day added to the weekend. I wish! Like I have been saying my entire pregnancy, these weeks are flying by wayyy too fast. But I have been able to get things accomplished, which is good. With the help of the childbirth class I was able to formulate my birthplan. Birthplan = Please for the love of God do not show me or my husband the placenta after the birth of our daughter or any other time. That thing is bound to make me hurl all over if I lay eyes on it and I'm pretty sure I can say the same for Jeff. So that's it...that's the birthplan :) During our childbirth class we watched several videos and after this lady delivered her baby, the nurses brought over the placenta in this silver tin basin for the lady to look at. Even as I type that I feel like gagging. EW. No placenta viewing for me. No chance.

On to more pleasant things...I am going to be a mother in as many as three weeks! I am so excited for baby Kamryn to be here...I feel happy, terrified, hopeful, anxious, and a million other emotions all at the same time...quite the mixed bag :) I am most looking forward to finally holding my baby girl and looking at her sweet face...I cannot believe she will be here soon, I can't wait!!

Jeff and I are so lucky...we are supported by our families and friends, who have been absolutely wonderful to us. In my last blog, I talked about my baby shower my mom gave us. We actually had ANOTHER baby shower this past Sunday given by our friends Steph and Molly!! Like I said- we are sooo lucky :) The baby shower given by Steph and Molly (HUGE thank you to you girls!!) was co-ed and it was so much fun- I laughed so hard and don't think I stopped smiling once! We really do have great friends...we had friends who we hadn't seen in a while because they moved to Maryland come to celebrate with us as well as friends we see all the time come celebrate, too! Steph and Molly had all of this delicious food and hilarious games planned. It was AWESOME!! The best was the boys having to chug beer out of a baby bottle...so funny!! We received so many generous gifts for Kamryn and I really can't say thank you enough. It was so sweet of our friends to be there for us...and we are sooo grateful!!!

With all of this great stuff happening for us, we could not be more happy or excited!! Howwwwever...I'm going to go on a little rant for one second. I am a planet...or a hippo...whale...giant blob...whatever gigantic object you can think of. I feel so huge and uncomfortable and I can't wait to take my fat suit off. I don't even recognize myself! It's really hard to sleep and I dread night time because not only does my mobility go right out the window, my feet get so huge that they look like two platypuses attached to my legs, and no matter what way I sit/lay/stand, my back hurts :( Yeah, I'm really cute these days. Not. Ok, rant is over...I just can't wait to get in some sort of shape again!!

I have an OB appointment tomorrow so we will see how little Kammy is doing in there and maybe get some info. on when she wants to make her debut into the world :)

34 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Shower!!!

This may be a long post so I just wanted to warn everyone in advance because I have a lot to write!! This past Sunday was my baby shower for little Kamryn and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! I am still grinning from ear to ear from yesterday, it was just a perfect day and so much fun :) My mom and dad threw Kamryn a baby shower at their house in New Jersey and really outdid themselves. First of all, it was just so nice to be at the house I grew up in with my family. I hadn't been there since before Jeff and I had our wedding in August and I always loved coming home to my parents, especially in the fall because my mom decorates the house for Halloween and Fall. The decorations make the house feel so cozy and she always has pumpkin or spiced apple scented candles that just enhance the warm feeling of Fall. I wish we could have stayed longer because I wasn't ready to leave after the shower.

There were so many reasons to love my baby shower. Like I said before, I just loved being in New Jersey at my parents house with my family. Also, the amount of extended family and friends that came to celebrate Kammy's arrival was so touching and really meant a lot to me. I am truly lucky to have these people in my life to support me and am forever thankful :) I was so thrilled that some of my girlfriends that I have known for a long time were able to make it; my girls from college, Laura & Teesdale, were there and it really made me happy to see them. I don't really get to see them much anymore so it was awesome they were there for me :) And my girlfriend Heather from middle school & highschool came to celebrate with me, which was just so great to have her there, too. My parents' house was filled with tons of great family and friends which made it so wonderful to share such an important and memorable moment in my life.

Along with my family and friends, the generousity that was displayed from them was over the top!! Jeff and I recieved soooo many beautiful things for our little girl that we still are in awe of how many sweet gifts we got!! Everything we recieved was so thoughtful and precious and we both are so excited to show little Kamryn all of her cool stuff. I hate to brag (but I'm going to do it anyway haha) but she really received pretty awesome gifts. She has soooo many adorable clothes that she's going to need costume changes throughout each day so she can wear them all!! My cousin Allie did the coolest thing with the gift from her, my aunt, uncle and two other cousins. It was quite impressive and extremely creative :) They gave me a layette with onesies, little socks, outfits, burp cloths, crib sheet, blankets, and pink hangers that were pinned to a long white rope with white clothes pins. She arranged the items in this cute white wicker basket with pink trim so when you pulled the first item out of the basket the rope unraveled to display all of the layette! It was so adorable...it looked like little baby clothes hanging out to dry on a clothes line. When all the items were out of the basket the rope stretched all the way across the room and it took several people to hold it up!! I thought it was the cutest idea...such a creative way to put together a present... Al- I might steal this idea in the future ;)

We also received the Pack N Play that we registered for from my sisters and I personally cannot wait to put it together...well, let me rephrase- I cannot wait for Jeff to put it together haha...handy husband :) We got some really cute bath stuff, a travel system, a bassinet, a high chair, books, and other necessities for a newborn like a diaper pail, first aid stuff, blankets, pacifiers, and toys.

My mom and dad are so cute- they saved all of my things from when I was a newborn like my favorite stuffed animals, little knick-knacks that were in my nursery, my first little shoes, and my baby books and arranged them all in a box for me to save. It cracked me up because my one stuffed animal, I named him PussGuss, was my absolute favorite when I was a baby. And you could definitely tell how much I loved him because his original form (which was supposed to be a cat) resembled more like a thin, old dirty rag instead of a fluffy brown cat. I would carry PussGuss around with me EVERYWHERE and I used to just pick his fur--yes, there has to be some sort of psychological explanation for this behavior because even now, I look back and think I was a weirdo little kid to pick all the fur off my stuffed animal haha...don't judge me ;) My parents also gave me the coolest thing--since Kammy will be born just before Christmas, they gave her the book, "The Night Before Christmas," which was my favorite as a child. This book however, is one that you can record a voice reading the book so my parents recorded their voices reading the book, alternating page by page!! I love personalized gifts like this...especially ones that remind me of my childhood :)

We are SO LUCKY!!!! Thank you thank you THANK YOU (I can't say it enough!!) to all who made my baby shower such a success and something I will remember with happiness and joy for the rest of my life. Now the hard part for me is going to be fighting the urge to want to organize all of her new things. Getting Kamryn's nursery ready is WAY more fun than going to class right?!

I had my 34 week OB appointment last week and my doctor said everything is going really well--pretty textbook pregnancy. Her head is down, my blood pressure is perfect, glucose levels perfect, and Kamryn is growing wonderfully. When he measured my belly he said that I was all baby and there was no where left for Kammy to go!! I had maybe 2 cm between the top of my uterus and my sternum. No wonder I can barely breathe haha. He says she may be an 8 lb. baby...as long as she's not a 10 pound butterball turkey like I was is good news to me!!

I am still feeling pretty good, just enormously pregnant. It's sometimes a struggle to sit down because there is no room for my insides and they are squished inside my belly. Then I think it would be better if I layed down, but that is uncomfortable too because if I lay on my back I can't breathe and if I lay on my sides it hurts too. Some days I get really exhausted but usually I feel normal. My finger "arthritis" has definitely gone down, but they still hurt, just not as bad as last week. And I was sad to have to take off my wedding rings because I really miss wearing them. It's funny because I have noticed a big change in my belly size in the past few weeks and let me tell you, I feel like I ate a basketball. I feel HUGE...like a big, round sloth haha. Jeff thinks I look pretty big too but when I went home this weekend, everyone was saying that I really don't look big and that they thought I'd be bigger at this point. Even if people were just saying that I didn't look that big so I wouldn't feel self-concious, I don't care because it did actually help my confidence. This may be selfish and I hope I don't sound like a total biatch, but I do sometimes have a hard time with my body getting so big...even though I know its for a great cause and the end result trumps all the negative feelings I have about my body...I just really am excited to get my body back in shape So, it's kinda weird. I guess every pregnant woman thinks they look huge probably because they feel huge. But in the end...it's worth every pound, heartburn, sleeplessness, inability to bend over to pick something up, and swollen foot :)

33 weeks and I think I developed arthritis overnight

Is it possible to just wake up one day and have arthritis at the age of 25? Not only do my hands and fingers look like these plump, swollen sausages, but the bones inside my hands HURT. BAD. It's really painful to flex my fingers or to make a fist. It definitely hurts to write or hold anything but typing is actually not as painful. Of all of the pregnancy books I've read nowhere does it say "finger pain" is a common symptom. So, I have an OB appointment on Wednesday and I'll ask the doctor about this "overnight arthritis." Although, I'm pretty sure they will just say, "oh, it's normal."

I cannot wait for this weekend. This weekend is my baby shower!!! On Sunday my mom is throwing me a baby shower in New Jersey and I am so excited for it!! I can't believe its here already, which means the time when Kamryn will be born is getting closer and closer :) I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone at my shower and being with my family. It's going to be such a great day that I will remember forever and can't wait to tell my daughter how fun her baby shower was!

This past weekend I was hanging out with some friends and they got to feel Kamryn kicking. It made me feel so good to have my friends so interested and supportive. They were asking me lots of questions about pregnancy and raising a newborn and I didn't realize how much I really have learned until my friend was like, "Geez, you know so much about pregnancy and I don't know any of this!" I thought about it later that night and he was right...I think I have learned a lot about being pregnant and while I do read lots of material, I think the majority comes from experience. I know how lucky & blessed I am to have this experience and I cannot even describe how being pregnant has changed my life in so many great ways. I'm really looking forward to how Kamryn will change my life in these next days, months, and years. I love her so much already and can't wait to meet her :)

32 Weeks Pregnant!!

Wow these weeks are really flying by! 32 weeks and counting :) Nothing too crazy going on this week...Kammy is just kicking away and sometimes I swear she is doing the YMCA in there because I feel these taps and pokes on the far sides of my belly. It really caught me by surprise the other day when I was driving...I even yelled out because I was so startled! It felt like a really hard kick and her little arm or leg was going to shoot through my skin! She's a wild woman in there!

I haven't really gotten a good night's sleep in the past week, but I should probably get used to that. I have a hard time getting comfortable. I'm either too hot, or my back is aching, or I just can't fall back asleep after I use the bathroom. I've heard from other pregnant girls that taking a bath before you fall asleep is a good way to help your body relax so you can get some sleep so maybe I will try that.

I'm super excited for Saturday because I'm getting photos done of my belly! Not too sure of what I want to wear yet...I think I will decide that day. I'm really hoping for some good outdoor shots because the leaves are changing and are so colorful this time of year. Maybe I'll get really fancy and ask for some black and white pictures, too :) Hopefully, the pictures turn out cute because I plan to frame them and hang them in her nursery, which is coming along quite nicely. Here is a picture of her bedding...its called Tropical Punch by CoCaLo. I love the colors and the animals are so adorable!!
I'll post pics of her nursery once its finished so stay tuned!! :)

31 Weeks Pregnant: Confessions of a Pregnant College Student

Hey everyone! I'm 31 weeks already and time is seriously not slowing down AT ALL!! Being pregnant is definitely an experience I would never trade for anything. Each day brings something new to the table. I think traditionally, most women experience pregnancy while they already have established their career and are out working. Me, I do things a little different I guess. Being a pregnant college student, I experience things that perhaps most pregnant women may not.


I am in my last semester at Mason and really cannot wait to graduate! I feel like I have been here forever...well, let's face it, I have! So, here I am a senior at Mason, ready to graduate, and 8 months pregnant :) Here are the things I have noticed about being a preggers college girl:

• I know where every bathroom on campus is. Even the buildings I have never had class in, I can tell you the exact location of every ladies room.
  
• People stare. I usually get the long stares at my belly, but lately I get the "look at my face stare, look at my belly stare, then back at my face stare." Usually, most of the stares come from other girls, but I get the occasional frat boy that looks at my belly with a little fear in his eye...like he could catch being pregnant or something haha.
  
• For the most part, my professors have been very nice and accommadating. I'm pretty lucky because Mason is one of the most diverse colleges in the country and they really pride themselves on being welcoming of different types of people. I like to think I am a part of the "pregnant culture" population on campus :)
• I'm not exactly sure how I am going to fit in my desk in a few weeks. Right now, I still fit but I have a sneaky suspicion that my belly is going to extend beyond the space the desk allows...maybe I'll sit sideways. Hopefully, I won't make the person sitting next to me feel too creeped out that I am directly facing them.
• I really really really miss Starbucks coffee. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I kicked my coffee habit to the curb. It really wasn't that bad and I did sometimes wish I could have a precious vanilla latte, but lately I have been very jealous of people enjoying coffee. I think seeing other students have their frappucinos, lattes, and mochas perched on the corner of their desk, casually taking delicious sips during class has been the reason why I have been craving it so much. AND because it is now fall and Starbucks has those fabulous spiced pumpkin lattes that are soooo irresistible :) Oh well, I just have to stick it out for a few more months. I can do it!!

• The Swine Flu (aka H1N1 virus) scares the hell out of me...especially being around college students for most of the day at such a large campus. I cringe when I hear other students in class saying, "oh yeah, my roomate has it." I literally get up and move my seat because I am so paranoid about catching it.

So those are my confessions :) In other baby news...haha...the crib and changing table are assembled and look absoultely beautiful!! Jeff and his mom helped put them together last weekend and Kamryn's nursery is off to a great start! She is beginning to collect quite the number of things...Jeff's mom got her an adorable handmade quilt with cute little toys attached, some onesies, (you can never have too many I hear) a sweet little hat for her to wear when its cold, and a shade to put in our car to block the sun from shining too brightly on Kammy. I want her to come out so she can see all the cool things she has so far!

I have an OB appointment tomorrow morning and I'm not quite sure what they will be doing at this appointment but I'll let you know how that goes!! Hope everyone has a great week :) Kammy, I can't wait to hold you and love you and smell you and kiss you!!! Soo soon :)

30 Weeks

Hey everyone! I am 30 weeks pregnant this week and just wanted to do an update on several things. Jeff and I had a tour of the hospital on Sunday and we both were really glad we did. The hospital seems very clean and everyone was very friendly. We saw where we would be parking and coming in to check in. The tour guide also showed us the birthing rooms, nursery, and the postpartum care rooms. I was glad to see all of it because I really don't know what to expect and seeing where all the fun happens helped me feel a little more comfortable and maybe even a tiny bit prepared. At least I'll know what to expect as far as my surroundings...I can't really say I'll be comfortable or prepared for anything else haha!

I was kind of bummed out though because the hospital had to make new rules about visitors due to the H1N1 virus. The new rules are that no one except the parents of the baby are allowed in the hospital. This means no visitors at all. I felt bad because I really wanted my family and Jeff's family to come see Kamryn once she is born but I understand the severity of this virus and I definitely want to take all precautions. So, I think everyone will get to see her once we bring her home from the hospital.

This past week I have been feeling lots of Braxton Hicks contractions which my doctor says are perfectly normal. I usually feel them during the day especially while I am walking around. They don't hurt or anything...my belly just gets really tight for a few seconds. I think Jeff really likes saying the words "Braxton Hicks" because he will ask me like 25 times during the day if I have Braxton Hicks and then he repeats the word to himself under his breath a couple times...its funny :) I got him a book about the father's role in pregnancy and he gets really excited when he recognizes my symptoms from what he's read. He's going to be such a great dad!

So, at my OB appointment this week I got a flu shot and finally did my glucose test (which I got the results today and I passed!! woo hoo!) I also started my two week appointments because I'm coming down the home stretch. It's going by so fast, it's incredible and at the same time it's really weird because as much as I want Kamryn to be here, I almost want to slow down each day so I can really cherish these last weeks of my baby girl being inside my belly.

I'm really excited because Kamryn's furniture for her nursery should arrive soon and I cannot wait to see it! Both my parents and Jeff's mom bought her furniture so we could start setting up her room and getting it all ready for her. I've been wanting to set up her room and decorate for so long that I think I've been making my husband crazy! I kept having dreams that she would come and we wouldn't have her nursery ready and of course I was freaking out...haha weird, huh? I think both Jeff and my mom have had to reassure me more than a few times that it wouldn't happen and not to worry because everything would be set up. I'm such a worrywart and I think that trait has only intensified during my pregnancy.

29 Weeks Pregnant: Helllllo heartburn!

As things progress in my pregnancy, I have really noticed some changes in the past few weeks. The biggest change I would say has been the slow decline of my mobility. Those days of hopping in and out of the car are long gone as I carefully lift each leg to shift my weight in order to get into the car which then I find myself exhaling with a big “whew!” when I finally get settled. The other thing I noticed is that walking around campus I thought everyone around me was walking especially fast. I assumed people we just either late to class or just anxious to get there. Then I saw my reflection in the windows of the library and I had to do a double take. Not only were my fellow students not walking abnormally fast, but my pregnant body was moving at the pace of a snail. Jeff always would tease me and say that he could tell I was from up north because I walked fast like I was walking through the busy streets of New York City and his Southern self couldn’t keep up. These days I walk slow and steady and it’s not because I’ve been in the South too long.

Heartburn has found me and has attached itself to my chest. I have added numerous containers of TUMS to my purse, book bag, car, and various other places around the house. They are the only thing that keeps me from breathing fire on anyone I talk to. Heartburn seems to especially love my company at night when I am lying in bed trying to fall asleep. Without eating a few TUMS before I go to bed, I have a horrible burning that resonates in the bottom of my throat and along my breastbone. TUMS: I love you and thank you for allowing me to get some sleep.

This weekend I had a prenatal massage that was a gift from my girlfriends from Red Hot and can I just say it made me feel like a brand new woman. After being sick all week and having really bad back pain, this was just what I needed. The masseuse was this sweet old French man with the best accent I've ever heard. Listening to his voice made me think for a second that I was in the South of France again, getting a massage on the beach. It was wonderful :)

Tonight I am going to finish up my baby registry at Buy Buy Baby for Kamryn. That store is amazing! There is so much baby stuff it's almost overwhelming...but I love it all the same. I can't wait to set up her nursery. I want it to be organized and beautiful just for her. I'll probably post pictures of it when it's finished so you all can see.

This Sunday is our hospital tour. We get to see where exactly I'll be delivering Kamryn. I'm not quite sure what to expect but I hope to reserve a private room for when the time comes for Kammy to arrive!! I think that is my main goal. Usually, I don't mind being around strangers...in fact I'd rather be with people than by myself but I think for this particular event, I am going to require a private room. I think it will be much easier for me and Jeff to welcome our new baby girl this way. Wish me luck!

28 weeks pregnant

Hey everyone! I am 28 weeks pregnant with our first baby--a precious baby girl that my husband Jeff and I are going to name Kamryn. So far, I have had quite an easy pregnancy and I feel so lucky to have been blessed with such an easy time. I really hope it continues this way! I have just began my third trimester and thought it might be too late to start a blog but I figured better late than never :)

Like I said, its been a very easy pregnancy so far although yesterday was rough for me. I was scheduled to have the one hour glucose test at my OB's office and I woke up that morning feeling a little off. I thought it was just me being tired and run down so I figured I would just suck it up and try to get on with the day. I got to the doctor's office and began the test which requires you to drink this really sugary drink within 5 minutes. The drink was honestly not that bad, I think I was expecting something much more syrupy-sweet but it tasted like orange soda. I was just about to finish the drink when all of the sudden I felt really sick and had to run to the bathroom. This is really gross but I threw up the drink and wasn't able to complete the test. I ended up having to reschedule the test for next week and I am praying that I don't get sick again. At first, I thought it was just a reaction to the drink that made me sick but the second I got home from the doctor's office I was one sick girl. It was obvious I had some sort of stomach bug because for the rest of the day and into the night, I barely left the bathroom. It was horrible. I was really worried about getting dehydrated because dehydration can cause a pregnant woman to go into labor so I was trying really hard to keep myself hydrated. I was also freaking out about Kamryn not getting any nutrients or food because I was unable to eat or keep anything down.

As the night went on, my temperature would creep up a little but never went over 100 degrees and I was having the most intense back pain I have ever had in my life. I was really trying to keep calm but it was so scary because I read how intense lower back pain can often be confused for labor pain and being dehydrated and all-- I was really panicked. Somehow I was able to fall asleep with the help of my husband putting cool towels all over my body to get my fever down and when I woke up a few hours later, the back pain went away. Thank god!

The next morning I was feeling so much better...no more stomach issues just body aches and feeling weak. I took the rest of the day to just relax and rest. I felt Kamryn kicking throughout the day, which I was relieved because I was so worried for my baby girl. Hopefully, by tomorrow I will feel back to normal. On Friday I will be 29 weeks pregnant! I can't believe how fast the time has gone...its pretty amazing :)