Appointment Update - 9/2

I'm starting my weekly OB appointments now since my blood pressure has risen a little bit so that my Doctor can keep a close eye on things. I got my test results back and everything is looking good so far. I'm starting to swell a little bit and my blood pressure was up again at this visit, but none of my lab results are abnormal which is great. I'll probably have to repeat the lab tests in about 2-3 more weeks, but for now everything checks out!

As of this visit today, Baby H is in the head down position and facing my right side. I'm measuring about 33 weeks which means the little guy has really had a growth spurt since last Tuesday! His heartbeat was 140 bpm and still going strong. Dr. Keith said that things are going great and she doesn't suspect that we'll need another ultrasound or anything to check on him as his growth is right on target for my due date.

I'm feeling ok, but I'm not sleeping now that I've gotten so huge!! I'm also having a hard time standing or walking for any long period of time due to backaches. All of this is to be expected at 32 weeks but I'm really hoping these next 8 go by quickly.

Happy Birthday Ryan!!

Yesterday was Ryan's 27th birthday! We didn't do anything major, but it was a busy day. I spent all day in the kitchen making him his favorite meal and his mom came over and ate dinner with us and hung out for awhile. Baby Harris, Lucy and the Kitties gave him 3 polo shirts, 2 of which were orange and purple for the upcoming football season. I bought Ryan some lounging/softball playing clothes which he desperately needed, and his mama got him some nice work clothes. It's hard to buy fun gifts for Ryan b/c if there's something he wants, he just goes out and buys it himself! Here's a picture of him opening some of his gifts:

Me @ 30 weeks pregnant

Putting together the crib!

We finally started putting together the nursery once our furniture came in and we were able to get it upstairs. Here are some pictures of Ryan putting the crib together and our nursery in progress! Lucy and Jack were very interested in all the activity going on!

When will Baby Harris be born?? Take a guess!!

Appointment Update - Aug 26

Today I had my 31 week OB appointment. Everything is pretty much normal but my blood pressure was a little elevated causing for small concern. I don't have any swelling so hopefully it isn't preeclampsia, but they are running a few tests just to make sure and I'll go back next Tuesday to get the results. I've gained a total of 27 lbs. so far which is approaching my personal goal I set of 30 lbs., but my Dr. isn't concerned and said 35-40 lbs. is average with many people gaining up to 50 lbs. with their 1st pregnancy. This week I measured 30.5 centimeters which is right on target. Unless I am showing early signs of preeclampsia, it looks like baby Harris should arrive very close to his due date of Oct. 26th! (I still have a feeling he'll be here early though!)

Some of our old yearbook photos!

He looks like his daddy! :)

Today Ryan and I went to Visions of Life Ultrasound in Piedmont, SC to have a mini photo session with baby boy Harris!! We didn't tell anyone because we wanted the pictures to be a surprise and wanted to make sure everything was ok first. Here are the adoreable pictures of our little guy at 29 weeks in the womb. He's getting so big already and we can already tell he's going to have his daddy's nose. He's also got the cutest chubby baby cheeks I think we've ever seen! (I'm not biased, I promise!) The ultrasound tech even said he detected little dimples in his cheeks.
We've also got a DVD of the whole experience which we can't wait to share with friends and family. I might try to see if there's a way I can get it online, but it's 30 minutes long so we'll have to see.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the pictures of our little miracle! I know we sure did!

I can't stop!!

I've been collecting all the baby stuff we've bought or have received from baby showers, friends & family and "displaying" it all on our dining room table until we can get the nursery finished and ready to set stuff up in. However, recently I've been so excited about our table of baby goodies that I can't seem to stop myself from going in there several times a day just to admire all the cute stuff!! Yesterday I decided to take a few pictures so I could update the blog and show off my new obsession. I just can't wait to decorate his nursery with all the neat stuff and hang all of his cute little outfits in the closet! (Lucy and Jack are intrigued by all the baby stuff as well!!)

Our Anniversary!

Yesterday was mine and Ryan's 1 year wedding anniversary! We can hardly believe it's already been that long and had no idea that by our 1 year anniversary I would already be 7 months pregnant! :) Of course, our plan was to be in St. John this week to celebrate, but baby Harris required that we bump up that trip about a month since it's not recommended you fly in your 3rd trimester.

St. John was our big anniversary gift to one another, but Ryan knew better than to walk in the house yesterday evening empty handed! :) He brought me a bouquet of lilys, my favorite flower, and a very sweet card. Shortly after he got home from work we decided to try Mimi's Japanese Steakhouse for dinner. We've heard good things but hadn't ever been there before. As with most Japanese steakhouses, we left so full we could have burst, and I even brought half of mine home! Then we ran by Petsmart to get some treats for our "kids." Finally, we came home and after our food settled a bit, we got out the top of our wedding cake (which has been taking up tons for freezer space for a year!) and each had a slice. Much to our surprise, it was almost as delicious as on our actual wedding day!! Even Lucy had a little bite and seemed to agree.

Baby Shower!!

Today me and Ryan had our first baby shower hosted by the fabulous Aaron, Keri & Tonya! We had a wonderful time and got lots of great gifts to get baby Harris started. Here are some pictures from the event!

Braxton-Hicks

I've been having these weird sensations lately where I feel my belly get really tight for several seconds and then go back to being relaxed. At first I thought baby was doing really slow somersaults until I finally realized that these were the infamous Braxton-Hicks contractions I'd heard so much about.

Braxton-Hicks contractions can start anytime after the 20th week or so and are your body's way of preparing itself for childbirth. They aren't painful at all but do feel a little strange and make me a bit queasy.

A really great pregnancy book!

After reading all the medical and informative pregnancy books out there I finally decided to read one just for fun, and it turned out to be my favorite by far! I picked up Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy at Target before our trip to St. John and ended up finishing it during our 2nd afternoon on the beach. Ryan would occasionally look at me like I was a little crazy because I was constantly giggling or laughing out loud at what I read.

It was nice to finally read about a model and former playmate gaining 50 lbs. and struggling with many of the same 'not so pleasant' pregnancy symptoms that I have, and good to know that even beautiful celebrities go through these kinds of things. I really appreciated how straight forward and candid she was about her experiences and even her fears of giving birth. Not to mention, she made everything absolutely hilarious instead of scary and frightening.

So, anyone out there reading who is pregnant, thinking of becoming pregnant, or just curious...I totally suggest you pick up this book and have a good laugh, and at the end, a good cry!

2/3 of the way there!

Today marks the first day of my 3rd and final trimester! Only about 12 weeks to go now. It feels like time is just floating by and I find it hard to believe I've been pregnant for 7 months already! I think I've been pretty lucky with this pregnancy so far and just hope and pray that these last few weeks go by just as smoothly as the first 27! Of course, the bigger I get the more uncomfortable I am, but it's a very small price to pay and I have a feeling that as soon as I get to hold the little guy in my arms I will forget all about the discomfort and pain. Just as long as baby is OK, I can tough it out! :)

A very comforting fact is that baby could be born anytime between now and my due date and he would more than likely be ok. He should weigh about 2.5 lbs. now and all major organs should be developed and able to function outside of the womb. Of course his lungs are still premature and he might need some help breathing at first, but neonatal care is so advanced nowadays that hospitals have incubators and other resources to help sustain a premature baby almost as well as mother's womb.

Updates!

Just wanted to quickly write that I got my test results back yesterday and I don't have Gestational Diabetes or Anemia (whew!). I also had my ultrasound yesterday to check for gallstones and they didn't find anything out of the ordinary. However, the nurse said that the absense of gallstones doesn't mean that there isn't necessarily a gallbladder problem and that my doctor would discuss another test with me to check the function of my gallbladder.

If the pain continues to get worse I'll probably call and schedule another appointment this week, but I may just decide to wait until August 12th when I go back to see Dr. Keith again to bring it back up. The ultrasound I had yesterday checked out baby Harris and he's doing fine, so as long as I know that baby's ok, I guess I can deal with pain for the time being!!