This last week in baby news :).

So, I'm sorry for being silent for a week. Don't worry; I didn't have him and not fill anyone in. I've just been avoiding my computer as much as I can. That way I force myself to just relax (not sit up at the computer and put more stress on my joints than I need too); actually get some stuff done (cleaning, reading, knitting, etc.); and don't accidentally get caught up in the middle of several profiles for work and then go into labor.

Tuesday we went to the doctor and got to see my normal doctor for the first time in a few weeks (he's been on holiday). According to him, I'm only 2 cm (or at least was), not almost 3, like the midwife said. Other than that, nothing's really new on that front. The GBS (Group B Strep) test did come back negative though, so that's good.

Thursday was our meeting with the pediatrician. We're actually going with my old doctor, so that was a little weird. I don't know if I've ever been in that little check-up room and not been asked to hop up on the examination table. Anyway, I had prepared a few questions, which I brought in with my baby/mommy binder full of stuff; Thomas asked them; and we both tried to put on our best "yes-we-are-ready-for-this" faces. Overall, the meeting went well.  The doctor had a lot of really insightful things to tell us on the psychological front...if you're interested, I'll gladly share.

 On Saturday, pretty much everyone was out of town, so we took the free-time to do a few more last minute touches on the baby's room and our room. We hung up the letters Michelle made us and cleared out a few of the boxes. We washed some of the clothes that were the floor in our room (there's still some to be dealt with though) and took one of the closet doors off so we could actually fit the bassinet in there, next to my side of the bed.

Again, another phone picture, but you get the gist.

So yep, that's where things stand for now. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow (yep, on Valentines Day), so I guess we'll see what they say then. If I don't write again before this Saturday, my mom's flying in on that day (my birthday)! She's staying for three weeks and I'm super excited to have her here and to have her help.

Until next time,
Cheers

Getting Inked

So, as I mentioned yesterday, we trekked over to Thomas' coworker's house last night for him to get Adam tattooed on his upper arm. I wasn't necessarily super thrilled he was getting another tattoo, but I couldn't deny him from showing the commitment and love he already has for the little guy in his own way ("look, I've already bled for him,"he told me smiling). He's already daydreaming of when Adam learns how to read and realizes his name is on his dad's arm. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, as they're from my phone, but here you go. I think it turned out pretty good.

much <3
-Alaina

Hello Everyone!

I know this blog is somewhat delayed, especially for those of you who've wanted to keep up to date with the pregnancy, but live too far away to really do so. Up until now though, there honestly wouldn't have been much to tell. The only thing that really changed, besides the big things I made sure people knew anyway, was the degree in which I felt nauseous/sore. Now though, things are really starting to gear up and I suppose it's about time that I stopped being slack.

Today marks 24 days until the due date, which is both exciting and pretty nerve-racking. Everything's starting to shape up though.

• The nursery is painted and furnished, it just needs some decorating and for all of the boxes to be cleared out and either thrown away or put elsewhere (it was our Room of Requirement for quite some time, so there's a lot of little odds and ends everywhere).
• Our room, which is where the baby will sleep for the first little while in a bassinet, is slowly getting cleaner...though, with my size and Thomas' work schedule, it's definitely more slow than steady. 
• Thomas would probably like me to let you all know that he's getting a new tattoo (tonight, as a matter of fact). His coworker apparently does them and his mom offered to pay, so he's getting Adam written in Celtic Knotwork done on his upper arm.
• I'm actually roughly 3 cm dilated (as of this past Tuesday), which is kind of crazy. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything. The first stage of labor, from what I've read, can last anywhere from hours to weeks, so active labor is still pretty much up in the air. 

Finally, I should let you all know that Thomas, his family, and I were in an accident last night. While it definitely wasn't ideal, it could have been a whole lot worse. We were stopped at a red light in Summerville and this woman (who turned out to be the Labor and Delivery manager at Summerville Medical oddly enough), didn't stop in time and rear-ended us. There was definitely a jolt in our car, but when we all got out and looked, there wasn't more than just a scratch or two on either car.

Being responsible though, we still called the 24-hour line at our doctor's office and went for an hour of fetal monitoring at Trident, just to make sure everything was a-okay...which it is. Despite the late hour and, of course, the reason we were there, it actually probably turned out to be an everything-happens-for-a-reason moment. I was put in a labor and delivery room, so touring the hospital is another thing I can mark off of my list. I got to experience, first hand, what it's like to sit in the ward, hooked up to several monitors. Also, we're assumedly preregistered at the hospital now, because they had to put us in the system and all of that jazz. Hopefully when we go for the delivery, we shouldn't have as much paperwork to fill out. Lastly, what was really good for me was, by watching the monitors, Thomas was able to help me figure out exactly which thing I was feeling was a contraction. They're obviously not very strong yet, but up until now, I've been unsure what was a contraction and what was the baby pushing.

To reiterate though, everything is fine. No one is hurt. The only pain I feel is the pain I was already feeling from carrying this big belly around and everything else that goes with it.

Since I have no pictures to post today, I'll just post the 3D ultrasound pictures for those who haven't really gotten a chance to check them out...or maybe want to look through them again. They're about two months old now, but still pretty awesome.

I miss all of y'all and I hope this finds you well,
much <3
-Alaina