OB appt, Baby Position, and Loaves of Bread

I always have the best of intentions to update my blog, but you can see that it doesn't happen as often as I want it to happen. I'm hoping that my energy will return with the delivery of this litle girl!

My 31 week appointment was great! He said that all of my bloodwork at the previous visit was perfect, and that my iron levels were higher than he usually sees in someone at this stage of pregnancy. So, YAY for my body doing what it is supposed to do! :) I also had only gained 1.5 pounds, so that made me happy! He said that the baby was still breech, and we talked some about this. Since she had been breech throughout the pregnancy, he said she might end up not turning on her own. This really scared me, because I just don't like the thought of a c-section at all. He knows this, so he talked to us about some ways to encourage her to turn. So... let me tell you all about my fun week last week:

Every night for approximately 30 minutes, I relaxed with my head down and rear end up in the air. :) Sometimes, we would pile up pillows on the couch. Brittany piled up 5 pillows and then helped me to lie down with my head on the couch and butt on the pillows. I stayed that way for around 45 minutes. Another favorite was the ironing board. Clay propped it up against the couch, and I climbed on with my head near the floor and spent around 20 minutes that way. I put a bag of frozen veggies near the top of my belly and Brittany put her iPod headphones down near the bottom of my belly. Too bad no one thought to grab the camera and take pictures!

So, on Thursday night after we got into bed, I really thought I could feel her head down low, and Clay thought I was right. We were going to have an ultrasound done on Friday, but we got there too late and had to wait the rest of the weekend. On Monday at lunch we had one done and she is definitely head down!! I am SO happy about this. We have prayed every night for weeks that she would flip into a good position, and I am now saying thank you every night! I am SO relieved and have had such a weight lifted.

So, let the countdown begin! I will be 33 weeks on Saturday. Brittany is guessing that she will be born on May 20. This is the night of our AWANA closing program, and she just seems to think that will be the day she is born. I think she could be right about that... it will be about 37 1/2 weeks. So, we will see how close she is! Zach is still spending a lot of time with his hand on my belly, only he can actually feel identifiable body parts now, and he thinks this is really neat.

I'm feeling okay pregnancy-wise, but I am starting to really swell. Earlier this week I got on the scale and it showed that I had gained 5 pounds in a week. I know I haven't been eating that badly, and I actually did 3 miles on the elliptical last Saturday and 3 1/2 on Sunday, so I'm fairly certain that is from fluid retention. On Monday night my feet looked like someone else's feet... completely unlike mine! Tuesday, I could only wear flip flops to work. Wednesday, Clay was sitting in my office talking to me and I propped my feet up. He said, "Wow! I really see what you're talking about now. They look like loaves of bread!" haha They aren't as bad today, and I can actually see foot bones in the top again. My wedding ring still fits, and I am happy about that. I'm still wearing my engagement ring on a chain around my neck, but I will be glad to be able to put it on again in a few weeks.

So, overall, it has been a wonderful couple of weeks! Clay has a meeting in Little Rock at the end of next week, so we are taking the kids and heading up for a couple of nights. It will be our last getaway before the baby is here, and I'm looking forward to it! :)

4D Ultrasound and a trip to Branson

The kids had spring break a couple of weeks ago, so we decided to take a trip up to Branson. Clay closed the office at noon on Wednesday, and we headed to Texarkana for our 4D ultrasound. I was really excited, because this wasn't available when I was pregnant with Brittany and Zach. We got some great shots, but our DVD isn't working. I've got to go back on Tuesday and see if the lady can make it work. Anyway, the u/s went great! I was afraid we might not be able to see her face, but we got a lot of cute pictures. I am already in love with her and can't wait to meet her! The only part that concerned me is that she was breech, and I just want to be sure that she turns before time for delivery. I do NOT want a c-section. The tech who did the u/s said that I have a lot of fluid and that she has plenty of room to turn, but it has been almost two weeks now and she is still breech. At least I think she is... I can feel body parts and kicks that make me think she is still head up.

After the ultrasound we headed to Little Rock and spent the night. We stopped to see Clay's mom and showed her our ultrasound pictures, as well. I think she really enjoyed them! Then on Thursday morning we were off to Branson. We had a great trip with lots of good food and we really enjoyed spending the time together. We took the kids to see the Titanic exhibit, went to the indoor waterpark, did a lot of shopping, and a lot of eating! We came home on Saturday and it snowed on us for a few hours of the trip home. We all had a great time, and it was a great way to finish spring break.

I am now 31 weeks pregnant and am so excited that this baby girl could be here in as little as 6 weeks! I go back to the doctor on Tuesday. I think my two week appointments will start now, and that is exciting! I've also done pretty well with my eating and exercising this time, so let's hope I get there and haven't gained another ton of weight. My shower is scheduled for May 3, and I am also really excited about that! I missed my shower with Brittany because she was born two days before it was scheduled, and then I didn't have one with Zach since he was my second and I still had all of my baby stuff from Brittany. So, this will be my first baby shower and I can't wait!

Okay, now for the u/s pics! The first one is my favorite because she smiled at us. :)


This one is a great shot of her foot:


This one is a little creepy, because her eye is open:


Will report more after my appointment on Tuesday!