37 Week check up

First, let me wish a Happy Birthday to Aunt Wendy! We hope you have a WONDERFUL day!

Today was my second to last doctor's appointment until baby's birthday!!!! Not too much new to report... everything is still going really well. The baby's heartbeat was 136, I've lost track of how much weight I've gained, but I think it's around 20 pounds now (which is really good since I gained 40 with Sean!), and my blood pressure was still nice and low at 120/72!

Other than swelling (which has set in full force) I'm doing pretty well. The end of the day is hard for me - I just am so exhausted and sore, but I know it will all soon be worth it. The doctor did advice to cut back on salts, which of course now makes me want to eat only salty things! :-) The baby is still transverse, so he seems to be quite comfortable in that position (which makes for a funny looking belly), but that doesn't prevent him from boxing my bladder every five seconds!

They did hook me up for another NST (non-stress test) today to make sure I wasn't having contractions that I just wasn't feeling. After 20 minutes on the machine, they had to come in and "wake the baby up"... that got him going so we sat and monitored for another 30 minutes. No contractions and his heartrate was good.

I think Sean is starting to sense that things will be changing soon... he's very much been all about Mama lately (which of course "Mama" loves!). I am so anxious for him to meet the baby - he's going to be so great with him - I just know it!

Next Wednesday (April 29th) is my last appointment. They are going to have us sign all the forms that day so that when we go on Friday (at 5:30 a.m.) we will have that all out of the way. In some ways I'm SUPER ready for this pregnancy to be over, but in a small way, I'll miss the miracle of this wonderful baby growing inside of me. Childbirth is truly a miracle - how do people not believe?!?

Baby/Sean update

Last week began my weekly appointments with the doctor... plus an added trip due to some contractions. All is well with the baby (still transverse, but healthly) - I was having some irregular contractions, but they are considered "unproductive". I go back this Wednesday and then one more appointment the following Wednesday... then, it's Baby's birthday!!! All-in-all, I'm feeling pretty good. Swelling has set in and I feel like I have a bowling ball between my legs, but what do you expect when you are 37 weeks pregnant! Yep, that's right - today I am officially full term! So, if the baby comes on it's own (although it would still be a c-section), he should be a-okay!

At my Wednesday appointment, my blood pressure was still excellent and the baby's heartbeat was a strong 166. Monday, I had ketones in my urine, but Wednesday they were gone (as was the possibility of a bladder infection). So, minus the normal aches and pains (back, etc.) of pregnancy, I'm plugging right along!!!

Last Thursday my friends Amy and Heather threw me a "shower" at Olive Garden for some friends from church. It was a lovely time! I even had the pleasure of some non-church friends join us (thanks Kelly and Beth!). We are truly blessed with so many wonderful friends (church, work, school) who have so generously blessed us with new things for the baby! I truly didn't expect it with a second child, but we have truly appreciated each and every thing that has been done!

Sean is doing really, really well! His appetite continues to increase and we're hoping this means a growth spurt is around the corner. His language seems to increase and improve daily, and he is constantly cracking us up with his phrases, giggles, funny faces, and "Good job Mama!" He's starting to count and get his ABC's, although we still skip quite a few - but hey, he's trying! He is also doing really well on the potty (at school)... at home he still likes to sit on it with his clothes on. :-)

Hard to believe in just over 10 days he'll be a big brother. He is going to be an amazing big brother, but he will ALWAYS be my baby! I promise I'll post more pictures of the cutie pie soon!!!!

Long time no post...

Well! It's been a couple of weeks since I have posted... lots to report!

First... Happy Belated Easter! We had a wonderful Easter with my extended family! It's been so long since we have all been able to get together, so it was truly a nice treat. My friend Aubrey (whose husband is in Texas already - she'll be going him upon her graduation in May) was able to join us. She is truly one of the family!

Second, last week brought us a little scare. Dad was admitted to the hospital due to dizziness and confusion, but quickly got better (thankfully). I think he was just trying to beat me to the hospital! Just kidding! Actually, I'm very thankful, as we all are, that everything was okay. All tests have come back normal thus far, and they were even able to confirm he has a brain! He has a few more tests that will be performed over the next couple of weeks. We hope those come back "normal" as well, but we would love to know what caused his episode. Regardless, he's back to work this week and remaining healthy!

Thank you to all for your thoughts and prayers for Dad. We truly appreciate it!

The world's cutest Easter Bunny

Whether you still believe in the Easter Bunny or not, how can you not believe in this Easter bunny??? :-)

Airplane with Daddy

So kids like to play airplane (you know, where you lie on your back, put your feet in the air and let the kiddo balance on them? Well, this picture goes to show you no matter how old you are, some kids still love to play airplane!!!

34 week update

Today was my 34 week check up/sonogram. The baby still looks super healthy, so we're SO pleased! He has moved a little and is sideways in my uterus with his shoulder or arm presenting first (this is called a transverse lie). She said that since he is measuring big, and I'm getting further along in my pregnancy, he'll probably be stuck that way - so it's a good thing I so have a c-section scheduled.

I did ask if he did happen to move, would cancel the c-section. She said that since I delivered a small baby with third degree tearing, they would not risk me delivering naturally with a larger baby. WHEW! Baby is measuring 36 1/2 weeks (2 weeks and a couple days early), but his belly is measuring 38 weeks! That kind of freaked me out at first, but he's measuring in the 69th percentile for weight. I can handle that! To put things into perspective though, Sean always measured one and a half weeks early. Um, yeah - not so much!

His heartbeat was a solid 147, and my blood pressure is 120/60 - still nice and low! I go back again on the 15th and then start going every week (a total of 3 more appointments before his birthday!!!). We're less than a month away now... hard to believe!

Who needs a step stool when you have this?

I mean, step stools are great and all, but when you have an old dog that can do the trick, why not! I couldn't help but laugh at this video that Jamie took of Sean using Seabass to climb on the couch. What a good dog!!!

33 Days

Believe it or not, we are 33 days away from meeting our precious addition to the Lance family! I'm starting to nest, which is always fun! The clothes are clean and put away in the baby's closet, and Sean officially has all of his stuff in his new room. (Now, we just need to work on him sleeping in his bed).

Last night we were putting the car seat back together after a good washing. Sean decided he needed to sit it in. Hey, it rocks, so it was fun! The sad thing is, he really could still fit into it by the weight standards!!! It was too cute to not snap a few pictures of!

Baby Lance's birthday will be...

Today was my 32 week check up! I can't believe I only have eight weeks left! Well, actually, less than that. Since the baby is still breech, and due to the "trauma" a certain area of my body had with Sean's delivery, the doctor wanted to go ahead and get me on the schedule for a C-section. We are the first one of the day on... MAY 1! We'll have our May Day baby! :-)

I go back for a sonogram in two weeks (April 1) where they will do a "growth check" to make sure he's not getting too big, but still growing strong and healthy. Then, two weeks after that (April 15), they'll do a quick sono to make sure that the baby hasn't flipped. If not, we'll stick to our plan of the May 1 C-section! How crazy is that?!? We could meet this little stinker in 44 days!!!

The rest of my appointment went very well - my blood pressure was 120/72 and the baby's heartbeat was 136. She is very pleased with how I'm progressing (especially now that the neuropathy is gone), so we'll sit back and wait for our next appointment! In the meantime, we're trying to spend as much quality time with Sean as we can. He's going to be the best big brother ever!!!

More bathtime fun...

This just cracks me up... every time I watch it I giggle (that's why the camera shakes when you watch it. It's hard to laugh and keep a still camera!) What a cutie!