Why Not?!?

So this past weekend my mom, sister, and I ventured out to the family fair that was being hosted at the civic center! We got all sorts of freebies and information on photographers, doctors, dentist, etc. We ran into the Pipkin family while we were there and got a good chat in...during this great chat, a woman walked by with a sports bra on and her HUGE belly (it's ok for me to say that because mine's huge too) painted. Jackie and I thought together, "wow she definitely has no shame"! Well not long after we were done gawking at this random lady, we parted ways. Not 30 minutes later, I was asked by a photographer if I would model a belly painting for her! What are the odds?!? I made sure that I would not be paraded around the fair with my belly hanging out and she reassured me that it would only be a few pictures and that I would be given a shirt to wear out before I agreed! I mean your only pregnant a few times right? And when would I get this opportunity again? So, like usual, I set aside my caution and said what the heck! If nothing else I figured it would be a good memory and a few cute pictures! And that it was! I had a blast...So here is my 27 week belly update! 

Aniston is so active now. She is about 2.2 pounds and 16 inches long! She has gotten to the point that you can see her move under my skin and know exactly where she is at. Cody gets so excited because he is able to feel more apart of things now that he is constantly feeling and seeing her. He is so ready to be a daddy. I have gained 10 pounds up to this point and have no stretch marks...knock on wood! I'm pretty proud. I thought for sure that the 14 petitefores, 10 sugar cookies, and 4 cupcakes I ate during valentines week would come back to haunt me! But then again, I haven't gotten the results to my glucose tolerance test yet!!! Speaking of the glucose tolerance test, that was an absolute nightmare! I was not told any of the details beforehand, so I show up at around 1 starving for lunch. Luckily I hadn't eaten because apparently you are supposed to fast for 2 hours prior to the test...small detail they with-held. After 30 minutes of waiting, I was called up to drink this surprisingly yummy orange drink. I was told to drink the drink in less than 5 minutes and come to them when I was finished. After chugging the drink, they told me I had to wait another HOUR before they could take my blood. I mean seriously, you should let hungry pregnant women know this before they drink the juice. Luckily, I survived. Well that's all I've got for now! Our next doctor appointment is March 1st and our 4D ultrasound is March 4th! Can't wait to see what our daughter looks like :)

Baby on the Brain

I want my baby. All I think about is Aniston. I think about what she will look like, and the features that she will get from each of us. I think about what her personality will be like, how her cry will sound. I imagine our life once she is here all day long! Not a second goes by when I don't think about cuddling with her! It is consuming my brain!!! Cody is getting so anxious also. We both sit around and talk about our life with her, and think of ways to make the wait seem shorter. I caught myself yesterday thinking that "technically" we only have two months left because February is practically over and you are "technically" considered full term and they won't stop labor at 36 weeks so we only have March and April to go...who am I kidding?!? The wait is KILLING me!!! Everybody says enjoy your time alone while you can, but does anyone actually do that? We always enjoy our time together, but since the day we found out we were expecting, we have both been counting down the days!!!! Random side note, Aniston has the best daddy in the world! He is so involved and excited to talk to her everyday. He can't wait to have her here with us and spoil her rotten. I mean seriously...my family is PERFECT.

Apart from having my wonderful daughter in my arms, I also can't wait for....

1. To sleep on my stomach and back...or to sleep in general
2. A HUGE bowl of Funfetti cake batter (I asked Cody to bring it to the hospital during labor)
3. No back pain
4. To be able to curl up in a ball
5. Ceaser salad
6. To do something crazy...like jump off a waterfall or go surf just because I can't right now
7. To ride my bike and be active
8. To shave my legs with ease

Anxious Aniston

So all of those times Cody and I have told Aniston, "We can't wait to meet you, why won't you come now!!!" almost came true...15 weeks to early. Monday night Cody and I went to bed as usual, but instead of Aniston doing her nightly dance, she was extremely still. I didn't want to think much of it, so I didn't tell Cody and we went to bed. Around 11 o'clock I woke up just feeling very crampy in my stomach. It was painful waves of cramps, but I thought maybe I just needed to go potty. I got up to go to the restroom and the waves went from 0-60 fast. I realized it was contractions and they were about 4 minutes apart. It was so painful that I couldn't even talk to Cody, and then I started to puke. Cody called my parents and they decided to meet us at the hospital so he got clothes together for me while I tried to regain composure. I got dressed and we were on our way. Cody ended up taking me to TMH, so we had to turn around and go to CRMC...we'll blame that one on his nerves! lol! G-diddy met us there also! When I got there, they hooked me up to several machines (after a 15 min sign up process because I had not preregistered yet) and we immediately saw Aniston's heart rate was great. HUGE relief! They thought the cause may have been dehydration so they pumped me full of fluids and the contractions slowed to 6 minutes, but I began to feel a lot of pressure. After hours of waiting, they decided to give me a shot of brethin (or something like that...) and that relieved all of the pressure and slowed the contractions some. An hour later they gave me a second dose of the same shot, which slowed them to 10 minutes which is the safe zone. They watched me for another hour, checked my cervix which had not dilated, and ran a test to see if I would go into labor within the next week. I was so relieved when everything was over, and Aniston decided to stay put!

A few days after I went to the doctor for my 24 week check up. We were able to see Aniston, and the doc reassured us that she was completely fine. Her heart rate was strong and she was growing on track. He said that the contractions and meds were only uncomfortable for me, but that she was not effected. Thank you Jesus!!! However, they have NO idea what caused the early labor. They do not want to put me on bed rest this early in the pregnancy, but they want me to take things very easy! It is basically a wait and see if it happens again type of thing. If it does, they can put me on bed rest and if it continues to happen then they can give me a low dosage of the shot (in pill form) everyday but that is a last resort type thing. He said it may have just been a one time thing and nothing else happen until I'm full term...which is what I'm believing!!! I am eager to meet her, but I want her to be as healthy and strong as possible! We also got the good news that the placenta had moved far enough away from my cervix so I was no longer in the "danger zone" and would be able to deliver naturally!

All of this made me extremely anxious to get things ready for my baby girl! We have some clothes and her bedding, but nothing was washed and no bags were packed. I know it's a little early, but I do not want to feel that completely unprepared again!!! So I have now washed all of the clothes we have, and set up as much as possible. We will be packing bags soon! lol! We don't have much yet, but we have enough to bring her home at least! Can't wait until my showers!!!