35 Weeks 4 days - 3D Pics

Friday I had my 35 week appointment scheduled, and I was finally going to get an ultrasound! I haven't seen baby girl since our 18 week appointment. I can't tell you how anxious I was to see her and hear that everything was fine. I was also so curious to get an estimate of her size. Well imagine my pregnant disappointment when I arrived at my doctor's office only to find that the office was closed due to an emergency! I was crushed. I huffed and puffed and waddled my way back to the car determined to find a way to see her. I whipped out my phone and asked Siri to call A Baby Visit - a place in San Diego that does 3D ultrasounds. They were able to get us in that evening :-)

The first thing I asked the tech to check was that she was still a girl haha. I have had this fear that our gender ultrasound was incorrect and so I haven't washed any of the clothes we've received "just in case". I couldn't have been giddier to learn that she is indeed still a girl. The tech told us that she has a TON of hair (which really excites me) and we couldn't believe how chubby her cheeks are already. They did all the measurements and told us that she is currently weighing 6 pounds 9 ounces! That is how much Brandon weighed when he was BORN. If that is actually how big she is already, I need to prepare to have a very large baby girl. 

We had a hard time getting a clear shot of her face because she was nestled up by my placenta, and stubbornly refused to move. Even though we poked and prodded her the entire time. These were the clearest shots we could get. 

And my personal favorite, seeing her frowny face when we kept poking my stomach trying to get her to turn her head:

I didn't think it was possible for us to be any more excited to meet this little one, but I was wrong!!

Christmas Home Tour

Brandon's 33rd Birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year which he was very excited about. I always feel a little bad because he doesn't get his own special day, but he doesn't seem to mind. We went to the Original Pancake House for a birthday breakfast, and then went over to his sister's house in the afternoon for Thanksgiving. 

Don't mind the fact that I look like a house!

Literally the day after Thanksgiving we picked out our tree and put up our decorations. We were both so excited this year! Here is a little peek into the Gray Home :-)

 This bell ornament was a gift Brandon gave me after we got married. It has our names engraved and "Our First Christmas". It's one of my favorite ornaments.

 Little Lucy ornament! And I love how big Santa seems to be looking at skinny Santa

Help!

So I'm trying to upload pics for a blog post and it's saying I'm out of storage space! Has this happened to anyone else? I don't want to pay monthly just to be able to upload pics... :-/

Birthing Classes

So last month I signed Brandon and myself up for a couple of birthing classes, and a breast feeding class. Labor and delivery is something I've always been nervous about and I wanted to feel as prepared as possible. I had initially wanted to take the hynobirthing classes - but it was something that we would have needed to start attending and practicing months ago, and I was too busy finishing school. So two five-hour regular classes it was.

The first one was last weekend and was very informative. We went over signs of labor, the different stages, breathing techniques, different positions to try, and watched a couple of videos about the different pain medications available such as the epidural. Towards the end of the 5 hour class, we were practicing different positions that I can try while I’m in the most painful part of my contractions, and all the things that Brandon is supposed to be doing (massaging, etc) while I’m in that position. So basically I’m on my hands and knees and Brandon is on his knees behind me. (There are 15 other couples in the class, and it’s the most awkward position to be in with a room full of strangers.) I start doing my breathing exercises and Brandon is supposed to squeeze my hips together. So at some point I turn my head to say, “you’re supposed to be squeezing” and he whisper-yells back, “I’m squeezing as hard as I can” in an almost Napoleon Dynamite like voice. I seriously lost it. I burst into laughter and it became even funnier because I knew I shouldn’t be laughing. I got myself together pretty quickly, but then the last ten minutes of class was a “relaxation” time...

We laid down in the dark spooning while this CD played that said things like, “I am safe, I am sound. My body is made to do this, yadda yadda” and I was supposed to just breathe while Brandon spooned me from the back. Well suddenly I remembered him hissing, "I’m squeezing as hard as I can" and I start laughing so hard, and so silently, that my body is jerking and he perks up from behind me to see why I’m shaking and demands to know what’s so funny. Well I can’t get any air or breathe. My mouth is gaping open, tears are squirting and I’m heaving and snorting and trying so hard to be quiet, and through my blurry tears I can see the teacher’s head pop up from the ground to identify what noise she is hearing. It looks like I’m sobbing. So I’m trying to bury my face in the pillow and my non-existent abs are killing me and I just heave for minutes. I was so exhausted afterward.

Now I have a phobia to go back to class next week because I’m scared it will happen again. I haven’t laughed that hard in YEARS. It was borderline painful laughter. During our breastfeeding class last night, the teacher started talking about nipples in the first two minutes, and how we should make sure they get some fresh air every day and I started sweating thinking I was going to lose it again.

So basically the moral of the story is that I’m still a child and I have no business having a baby.

33 Weeks 1 day

How Far Along: 33 Weeks (7 Weeks left to go!)
Size of the Baby: Baby girl is the size of a honeydew melon (about 4.5 pounds and 19 inches)
Stretch marks: Not yet - but I've also been told that your stomach grows the most at the very end - so it's possible they are still in my future.
Weight gain: 30 pounds
Sleep: It is still interrupted a few times a night to pee, and then ten or more times to switch sides - which takes considerable effort now. Otherwise, I'm good :-)
Best Moment of the Week: I had all of last week off for the Thanksgiving holiday and it was heaven! I got to sleep in, take it easy and finish so many errands. I noticed that my feet weren't as swollen and my back got a break too. Sitting confined to my work chair is torture! Movement: I'm pretty sure she can now reach my ribs. Out of nowhere I will feel like my ribs are expanding and it's not very comfortable. She's been pretty good about moving when I push back on my stomach. I also think her head is now firmly resting on my bladder - I pee a million times a day! Last night I watched my stomach move like there was an alien inside haha.
Gender: GIRL! Although I had a dream that I went in for an ultrasound and they saw testicles. Now I'm paranoid I am actually having a boy.
Belly Button in or out: In...wondering if it will pop sometime soon?
Anything making you queasy or sick: When I sit for too long of a period my stomach feels too scrunched, like I can't breathe, or like I ate too much.
Labor Signs: No
Wedding ring on or off: Off! I'm so crushed. My fingers are just too swollen. I tried to take them off a couple of days ago and could not get them to budge. Brandon made me soak my hand in a bowl of freezing water, and we tried liquid soap and nothing would work. I waited a day, and then we tried again and managed to get it off - but my finger is still sore. I guess I can do without it for 7 more weeks :-(
What I miss: Lately I have wanted to sleep on my stomach so badly. I also miss wearing cute heels and wedges. The only thing I can wear are flip flops :-(
What I am looking forward to: Meeting her! I know she still needs to cook for awhile, but we're getting so excited to see her face for the first time. I really, really want to do an elective 3D ultrasound to see what she looks like. Brandon thinks I'm impatient...and I am!
Nursery: Just trying to get everything organized after her shower! I promise I'll share pics soon.
Emotions: I've been a little more emotional lately. I cried the night before my shower because the dress I had planned to wear (that I had tried on a few weeks before) didn't fit very cute anymore - a ridiculous reason to cry! I just feel so large. I don't like seeing my puffy face, and enormous feet. I want to have a waist again, and wear cute clothes! But don't get me wrong, it is ALL worth it. :-)