31 Weeks!

Alexa this week should be around 16 inches long & about 3lbs 3 ounces. She should be starting her final growth spurt. For the next 7 weeks she should gain up to a half a pound a week. Her last major organ development is the lungs. They will continue to mature for the last 2 months.

She is very active little girl. I feel her constantly moving & she can even wake me up through out the night. This week I was able to recognize her hiccups. I can feel them low in the belly & she usually has them for about 7-8 minutes. The doctor says this is a good sign that all is well.

The past weekend we had our church picnic. Of course it was over 100* with a little breeze. I stayed in the shade & had lots of fluids. We all 3 survived with out a problem. We also had another birthing class on Monday. I could really go with out watching the videos, but I guess they are apart of the experience. We learned more about relaxation methods & different laboring positions. Over all we both left there excited & well informed. Only 2 more weeks of this class.

We decided to try out the infant seat in my car. As expected it is a very tight fit. My biggest challenge will be trying to maneuver her into the car with out flipping it sideways. YIKES! Justin's car is 4 doors & holds the car seat a lot better. So we may end up switching vehicles for a few months (don't tell him). My car had a recall on the drivers airbag. After getting this fixed this week I was told my car needed about $2000 worth of maintenance done on it. Of course this was the dealers price, so realistically its about $800-900 and nothing needs to be done immediately. So we may just need up looking at replacing it before to long.

This next week will be a VERY busy one for all 3 of us. We have a list of things we "need" to do before our princess arrives & I am insisting on getting them done this weekend. We also have our breastfeeding class on Saturday morning. I have heard really good things about this class & am looking forward to taking a lot from it. On Sunday we are going to a BBQ at our friends on the lake. I cannot wait to cool off in the water.

9 More weeks!

The big 30!

Yah we are 75% of the way through the pregnancy. For some reason being in the 30's sounds way more pregnant than the 20's (which of course it is). Anyways...

This was a good week. We went to visit Jayson, Leah & JB. I was really worried about the drive, but decided that it was worth the discomfort. The way up there was not so bad. We did it in 2 days, so we had less time in the car. Sunday felt like an eternity. We ended up in the car for more than 10 hours. We only took necessary breaks, but the traffic slowed us down & it is over 500 miles! The visit on the other hand was really nice. We enjoyed having time to relax & talk. I know it meant a lot to Justin to have a little more time with his brother before he leaves.

On Wednesday we had our 30 week check up. I only put on 2lbs over the last 2 weeks. I am expected to put on about a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy, so this is right on track. I cant believe I am admitting this, but at this point I have put on 21lbs. My blood pressure was right on the mark & Alexa had a heart beat of 158. This is the highest hers has been in awhile, but still nothing to be concerned with.

This last week I started having some pains in my lower belly with some contractions. The doctor was not concerned with the pain. He said it is one of those not fun symptoms of pregnancy. He was concerned with the contractions. He wants me to start timing them. I am suppose to write down the time whenever one starts. If I have more than 4 in an hour for 2 hours straight then I need to call him. Hopefully over the next few days I will have a better idea on rather they are something we need to worry about.

That's about it... only 10 more weeks until Alexa's due date!

29 Weeks!

This past week has been brought back a sense of normalcy to our lives. On Friday we saw Dispicable Me & Saturday we did next to nothing. It was very relaxing & nice to spend some time alone. After church on Sunday we hung out at our friends house. Though we were suppose to swim (which I was really looking forward to) because of the weather we ended up playing Apples to Apples inside. I really enjoy this particular group of friends. Justin is able to hang out with the guys and I can talk to the girls about the pregnancy or really anything Justin may not want to talk about. I was able to ask our friend Liz some questions I had, which is always a big help. I am starting to feel more confident in the decisions we are making & our ability to raise a child.

Monday was our first birthing class. Justin agreed to attend the classes with his full attention, but I know he was really dreading them. As we pull into the hospital garage we see a man wearing his Army uniform holding pillows under his arm. This was a great sign! It was almost instantly that Justin perked up. Not only did he realize that I was telling the trust about the Dad's to be attending the class, but that he would have someone to talk (or complain with). We caught up with Justin's new BFF and found out that he is an Army JAG Captain. Wow things could not get better in my mind. Not only was he Army, but he was a JAG officer, exactly like Justin wants to be one day.

The class was about as I expected. There were 10 pregnant women all due in either August or September & their husbands. One girl is due September 30th with a little boy, I felt connected to her for some reason... LOL! We did basic introductions, an over view of birth & some relaxation techniques. I have to admit that I did not learn very much, but do feel more confident in the labor process. Justin & I both had trouble with the relaxation stuff. We are just very high strung people & turning off the lights to take deep breaths just didn't do it for us. Oh well... there is always the epidural!

Our instructor explained that she would do hospital tours following each class of week, starting this week. So we decided to get ours out of the way. After being in the triage 5 weeks ago, it was nice to actually walk into the hospital on our own terms. I personally enjoyed walking past all the nurseries & seeing the babies. We did get all of our questions answered & hope we can stay calm to remember everything when the big day comes. Did I mention that it is only 11 weeks away???

On our way home from the birthing class Justin & I both agreed we enjoyed it. This was a huge relief to me. I know we still have 4 more sessions, a Baby 101 class & breast feeding class ahead of us, but it is progress. The baby 101 class is tonight. I really hope there is more to it then how to change a diaper, but we will see.

This week I have been feeling really good. Alexa is very active in my belly. I can completely tell her sleep cycle. She responds to the types of food I eat & plays a kicking game with Daddy. It's nice to have an "easy" week of pregnancy. I am finding it a little more difficult to do basic things, but would not trade it for anything.

Alexa now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain

This weekend we are taking a quick over night visit to see Jayson, Leah & JB in Kentucky. We are riding with Bill, which will be a big help to both of us. I will not have to do any of the driving & will have a lot of room to spread out in the car. This visit is really important to Justin & I am glad we are able to do it. Justin will also be starting postal school on Monday. Well that sums up are week!

Third Trimester/ 28 weeks!

We are finally into the last trimester. The third trimester is usually the shortest trimester, which makes me very excited. Once we hit September 9th we are considered full term & can deliver anytime up to October 10th before we discuss induction. Kind of scary to think that is only 2 months away.

We had our 28 week appointment yesterday. I gained another 3lbs... this is really starting to get old. The doctor's say I am still in a healthy range, so I guess there should be no worries from me. My blood pressure was still a little high, but lower then what it's been. I also had the glucose test. This ended up being no big deal. The worst part was having to wait an hour to get my blood drawn. The doctor's office will call me if the test comes back irregular (which I am guessing will not be the case). Alexa had a strong 154 heart beat & my belly is measuring right on schedule in size. We go back on July 21st for our next check up.

This past week ended our crazy schedule. We had an amazing time in Cincinnati. The family baby shower was awesome. I was so happy to see everyone having a good time. Alexa got a bunch of adorable outfits and a lot of the big items on our registry. As soon as we made it home, Justin started putting the nursery furniture together. It all looks great so far. We still have to pick up the rest of our gifts from Greenville & then we will be ready to actually decorate her room. Hopefully we will be doing this over the next few weeks.

Alexa should be around 2 and a quarter pounds & 14.8 inches in length. 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 my womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

This week we are looking forward to getting back into our routine at home & starting our hospital birthing class. (OK well one of us is looking forward to the class)

27 Weeks

13 more weeks until our due date- 10 weeks till full term!

Justin & I drove to Orlando last Friday. We had an amazing 3 days alone. On Sunday we packed up & drove to the other side Orlando & stayed with the Cox family for another few days. We really enjoyed all the parks. I was able to enjoy most of what Disney had to offer, but did have to sit out of a few rides. On Thursday we drove home & then drove up to Cincinnati for our family baby shower.

Alexa should be over the 2lb marker & be about 14 1/2 inches long. Her brain is fully developed & very active at 27 weeks. Her lungs are continuing to mature & she should be gaining weight very rapidly for the next few weeks.

This weekend my Mom, Beth & Mary (Steve's Mom) are throwing Megan & I a family baby shower. I feel so lucky to have such a great family. Alexa will be born into a family fully ready to spoil her.