October Update No. 3 Full Term Baby!

This past week has been a very eventful, baby-filled week. Last week, Noah and I went to Publix and we bought all sorts of baby toiletries. We bought some baby shampoo, baby soap, petroleum jelly, rubbing alcohol, baby lotion, A&D preventative cream, and A&D treatment cream. We have all of his toiletries in little green baskets on his dresser all ready to go for when he gets here. We've stopped buying diapers and wipes because we have quite a few and people have been giving us more and more diapers and wipes so we're in 'wait and see' mode for diaper and wipe purchases. We also bought some extra toiletries for me to stick in a bag to go to the hospital such as tooth paste and shampoo and such. We don't think of it as a waste of money because these items will be used and needed in our house, hospital visit or no, so now we just have extras on hand and won't have to go to the store when we run out. But we also won't have to worry about packing up any toiletries to go to the hospital since they will be in a bag ready to go, we figure it is just easier this way even though we only live about 45 seconds away from the hospital.

We took the car to get it professionally cleaned on Saturday. They cleaned the inside and the outside but we still have dog hair. :( Not surprising though. Noah is using a pet vacuum to try and further get out any dog hair. We are still transporting the harp around though to church and such. I will call the hospital today to set up that car seat appointment (I must do that!). We also cleaned and picked up around the house again on Saturday and had everything looking nice once again.

On Sunday October 23rd we had our first baby shower! This shower was thrown by our Randolph alumnae friends and it was a lot of fun. Everyone's generosity is very touching and sweet, plus it was so nice just to see everyone again! We also had a baby shower on Monday October 24th from the Randolph Art's Department. This was also incredibly kind and we are so grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives. Our little baby nursery is quickly filling with toys, bath supplies, blankets, and diapers and we feel very blessed to have such a well supported little baby.

On Monday October 24th I went back to the doctor but still not with my actual doctor. They did the strep B test but I do not yet know the results. Isaac's heart beat was 142 beats a minute which is two beats faster than normal, because normally they just tell me 140 beats a minute. (I know this is completely negligible). I also had our first examination, I was 36 weeks and 4 days pregnant and the baby is officially head down but no signs of imminent labor yet. We're going back to the doctor on October 31st and this appointment will be back with my actual doctor.

Also on October 24th, Noah and I went to our last class: our breastfeeding class. This class was only two hours long. It was good. We watched some videos and some power points but I kind of felt like there wasn't any really new information. A lot of the material had been covered in either childbirth and/or parenting class or I had read it on the internet or in a book somewhere. It was still good that we went I think, but I was just so tired during this class I think that affected my attitude. Plus, Noah was freezing and shivering the entire class and was obviously very uncomfortable....

Very late that night on October 24th or I guess technically early in the morning of October 25th, after our class, Noah woke up with a fever and was throwing up in the bathroom. He spent the rest of the night on the couch and called in sick the next day from work. He was running a temperature of 101 and he went to the doctor on Tuesday. The doctor told him he probably had just caught a stomach virus from one of his students and to take Wednesday off from school as well. Noah spent all day Tuesday and Wednesday on the couch and far away from me because we didn't want to risk me getting sick when I am nine months pregnant. It was very strange because we were in the same house but I still missed him and I am glad he is feeling better and back at school today. I also have not had any sort of tummy ache at all and hope this continues to be the case.

Especially with Noah being so sick, the house has semi slipped back into some disarray and we are working hard to remedy this. All the slipcovers needed to be rewashed to make sure no sick germs were on them so we'll make sure everything is put back to normal by this weekend. Next week should be another eventful week with lots going on so we'll use this weekend to get ready.

Baby Shower!

Ocotober Update No. 2

Today is October 17th, we are officially one month away from due date! We did a good job of picking up the house on Saturday. Now we are in WE MUST PICK UP AFTER OURSELVES mode. We're going to try and maintain the way the house looks including our daily swiffer ritual just to keep up with all of the corgi hair. Love Ein to death, can't imagine life without her, but gracious, she sheds like CRAZY!!!! We've still got some deep cleaning to do, some extra vacuuming, dusting, clean the oven, etc... but we'll work a little bit at a time over the next few weeks. The car is the major priority now. We need to get it cleaned out, vacuumed, and ready to go.

We're also is WHAT MUST BABY ABSOLUTELY HAVE mode. We need to make sure we have everything he'll need here. We still need to get some baby wash cloths, towels, bathtub, soaps, lotions, receiving blankets, burp cloths, diaper pail, extra mattress protectors, extra sheets, baby detergent, and that's all I can think of right now, but it's an ever growing list. No major expenses but just the little things we've either forgotten or put off until now.

The nursery is in pretty good shape. There are still some cosmetic things we could add but for now, our concentration will be on necessities and not niceties.

Isaac's Nursery Stage 3

Month Eight in Pictures!

32 Weeks

33 Weeks

34 Weeks

35 Weeks

October Update No. 1

I had a doctor's appointment on October 10th with yet another new doctor. This appointment was very short like the others. Lab work was good and blood pressure was the same as always. Isaac's heart rate was fine but they did point out that I hadn't gained any weight since my last appointment two weeks ago. The doctor asked if I had been eating well, but I don't have a good answer as to why this might be. Really from looking at my scale at home, I haven't really gained any weight for about a month. I hadn't stressed about it because I had gained more than the recommended amount before my third trimester (oops!). But my belly measured on schedule at about 34-35 centimeters so hopefully he's growing well. I will go back to the doctor on Monday October 24th and at this appointment they will begin doing a more thorough examination and I will begin going to the doctor for weekly appointments.

He's been moving very well, but I definitely can tell times when he moves a lot and times when he doesn't move very much at all. I'm really hoping he's moving down too. I've been feeling a lot more movement in my lower abdomen but I also feel it high as well. I've occasionally been having some lower back pain as well but nothing too bad. I'm definitely feeling less and less comfortable each day though.

I forgot to mention in my last post that since we got our new insurance cards we also signed up for a pediatrician. We had a prenatal appointment in the beginning of September and are all set to go come baby day! We had our second prepared childbirth class on October 1st. This time we got down on the mats and practiced our breathing and relaxation exercises in addition to a few more power point presentations and videos. We also got to tour the hospital which was very interesting. We saw the labor and delivery rooms and all the equipment in them and the overflow well baby rooms. We also went to the well baby floor and saw the well baby nursery. We saw tiny newborn babies in the baby nursery! We saw the OR where C-sections will take place and we went down to see the NICU. Noah and I also went back up to labor and delivery after class and preregistered for the hospital. We are now all set to go come baby day! On October 8th and 9th we went to the Madison Wellness Center for two five hour parenting classes. These classes were very similar to the childbirth classes. We watched all sorts of different power point presentations on different topics. We also practiced changing diapers and swaddling on baby dolls. We also got an infant CPR kit and were highly encouraged to get certified through the hospital. My last class will be on October 24th for breastfeeding.

Over fall break, Noah and I went to Buy Buy Baby in Birmingham to look for mattress protectors. We hadn't really found what we needed at Target and Wal-Mart and it's been frustrating because the Babies R Us in Huntsville is closed and I couldn't figure out what exactly I needed online. We bought a mattress protector for both the bassinet and the crib and we bought some pads to put down on top of the bassinet and crib and some other pads that go on top of the changing pad cover. I'm still convinced that there is a changing pad cover that goes underneath the pretty cover but I haven't yet found that. We also worked really hard on a wreath that we are making for Isaac. We plan to take the wreath with us to the hospital to put on our hospital door and then hang on his nursery door after that. A few weeks ago, we also got our travel system stroller and baby carrier/carseat in the mail from Megan and Nathan. Our last harp gig is October 13th and after that we will take the car to get professionally cleaned and then we will set up our appointment at the hospital to have our carseat professionally installed.

We got some cleaning done over fall break, but there is still of course more to do. I will keep working on the house. This week will be our busiest week yet. There is a lot of school work due this week and we will be going to Sewanee twice this week. Hopefully things will slow down after this week and we will be able to catch up on housework and such.