32-33 Weeks

Hey all!

This blog entry is a little bit late because we were in Utah for the end of my 32 weeks and the beginning of my 33 weeks. I think I'll probably just combine both weeks for this entry as I am measuring in between both anyway.

Utah was a wonderful experience and I loved every minute of it. Seeing family on both sides was fantastic and being able to explore the interesting things of Utah was quite fun. I really enjoy being there and kind of hope that we may end up there eventually.

Finch got spoiled rotten. Oh my goodness, that boy, he is such a flirt and such a ham. EVERYONE loved him and everywhere we went he was getting comments and giving smiles and I think he was successful in winning the affections of everyone he encountered. He is so infectiously cute with his smile, his personality, and his love that it's hard not be affected by him when he is near.

Ben and I got to see Big Hero 6 for the first time, and I cried like the pregnant hormonal conglomerate that I am the entire time. We are definitely going to be buying that one for Ben and I will just have to learn to control my tear ducts when I watch it. I told Ben that we need a Baymax so I can have big soft marshmallow hugs whenever I want and for a robot to carry me around when my back hurts.

As for my pregnancy, things are interesting. Pelvic pain wise, I am doing much better. I still have days of pain and waddling like a little witch from a fairy tale, but after seeing a chiropractor twice last week, I am feeling much better and I feel human again. When my chiropractor first worked on my back it sounded like my back was run over by a truck. So many pops and cracks. Finch was very concerned about me and seemed to be very weary of Dr. Egbert. It was pretty funny because the next appointment I had, Finch was very serious, not a single smile, and totally sassy with everyone and he watched me like a hawk. I tried a pelvic girdle and that proved to be more of a nuisance than a help because Rosemary has dropped and all of the pressure is around her rather than underneath her so I was cramping whenever I wore it. So I don't wear it now unless I really need to.

As we were traveling I began to get the ever joyful swelling that comes from riding in a car too long, or walking too much, (or hardly walking), or just existing as a pregger mama.  Unfortunately, my swelling isn't in my feet, but in my legs, my abdomen, hands, and face, all signs that show my swelling is more indicative of Preeclampsia than water retention from pregnancy.  Yesterday, I started to get headaches, and my blood pressure started to go up, getting to 142/92 which is definitely high for me. My doctor asked me to stay in bed the rest of the day, and today we discussed my options. We are keeping an eye on things and I'll see him every week instead of every two weeks to make sure we keep an eye on my blood pressure and my protein levels in my urine. I feel very blessed to have such an attentive doctor, and to have the skills to be able to check on my blood pressure at home and to know what is okay and what is not. We're not in the red zone, but definitely are proceeding with caution as my preeclampsia started pretty gradually last time with Finch and then jumped so quickly that he was induced within three days of starting to spill proteins (which indicates organ damage) totaling a period of 4 weeks. Any prayers or well wishes would be greatly appreciated in our behalf. We are totally ready for Rosie to come if she has to come early, but I would love to get her as close to term as possible before she comes. Finch was about 37 almost 38 weeks when he came and was just fine and I know that she will be fine whenever she comes but the later the better for little babies.

Rosemary is currently between 4-5 pounds, and around 17-19 inches long. She is moving a lot still, and I get some nasty jabs every now and then which sometimes stop me in my tracks. I am glad she moves so much though, and sometimes when I ask her to change positions for me she does which makes things much better when she settles down on my bladder and I almost wet myself. I am getting so anxious to meet this little one, and to hold her and I keep thinking about what it will be like to have my heart expand once again to let another life altering person into it. I see the love I feel for Finch, and I see the joy he brings to me and I know that our home will only get more happy as we have two littles who make us so happy and whole.

So this week I will be resting more and keeping an eye on things. Please keep us in your thoughts. As mentioned before, we would love to keep the preeclampsia at bay as long as we can so Rosie can stay in the oven as long as possible.

Until next week :)

Love,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rosemary, and Zola

31 Weeks, 9 to go!

Okay so it's been a great and challenging week of being 31 weeks! Also, my birthday was wonderful. So wonderful. Ben surprised me with dinner with friends and then when we got home after spending the day looking at whatever I wanted to look at ( and buying me some beautiful porcelain birds to keep in our room) and going to a pet store so Finch could look at animals (he loves animals) I found that our bedroom was decorated with 36 roses in a heart shape with beautiful notes from Ben to read. He had asked a friend to decorate while we were gone and it was so beautiful and so far, being 24 has been wonderful (all 8 days so far).

This was taken on my birthday before we left to go window shopping :)

As for being pregnant, I am doing my best to cope with the raging hormones, the fatigue, and the challenges of having babies so close together. My body is tired, and I get tired much faster than I used to. I think of those moms who have multiple back to back babies or just have lots of kids and I marvel at it because pregnancy is so hard for me, so everyone, you should give those ladies a pat on the back or watch their kids for a bit so they can rest! At 31 weeks, Rosie has been getting bigger and heavier and is apparently as heavy as a coconut or just a little heavier now that we are at the end of the week. She is also able to open her eyes and is practicing breathing amniotic fluid so she can breathe better outside of me.

I have started developing some pubic symphysis pain (the pubis symphysis is the cartilage between the front part of the pelvis that is basically the pubic bone in the front of the pelvis. Rosie is right at the bottom of my pelvis (she's been dropping for a bit now) and the loosening of my ligaments anyway from the relaxin hormone that prepares the pelvis for delivery, has made my pelvis feel very unstable and laying down, walking, stepping, stretching (basically moving or not moving) is getting more and more painful and my pelvis basically feels like it is glued together with elmers glue and has no strong base to keep it together anymore. I hear that there really isn't anything to do about it besides use a pillow and possible bed rest and that just makes me want to cry some days. We see my doctor this Friday and I'm hoping we can talk about what my options are because it is getting hard to do anything and with a while left to go and with a baby boy to chase around, I'm wondering what can be done or what will happen in labor with my pelvis being so unstable. Any prayers are appreciated and I hope this doesn't sound like complaining. I hurt my tailbone in labor with Finch and I wonder if that has possible exacerbated some of the issues I'm having since I didn't get a lot of time in between pregnancies to recover. We'll see. Any suggestions are welcome.

On a much happier note, we are getting so excited for Rosemary to come and be a part of our home. She loves to listen to us and is so responsive. Anytime Ben talks to her or around my tummy she starts to wiggle and to move and does it the entire time he talks to her. She also loves to hear Finch and when he giggles, she moves a lot, and she gets really active if he is sad and is crying or whimpering. She seems quite sensitive to him and I'm interested in seeing how they respond to each other in person. Zola will snuggle all the time with my tummy now and when she purrs, Rosemary starts to move and gets quite active. I guess she is pretty interactive now and will probably be the same way with us outside of the womb. I keep thinking of what happiness she will bring to us and our home and I am excited for her to be a part of our home. On the nights when I hurt the most or I can't watch a commercial on hulu without crying nonstop I focus on her movements, and how much I know she is worth it all.

31 week bumpie :)

I think of how hard it was with Finch when I started getting symptoms for preecclampsia and then I remember when I held him in my arms after he was born and I just threw all of the pain, the stress, anxiety, and the fear out the window. I would have done it over and over again and I still feel that way now when I look at him and I am doing the same thing for Rosie now. I think sometimes looking outside of ourselves is the only way we can get through tough times and I know that I have felt so grateful for the love and support I feel from my husband and son, and from family and friends, and I am also grateful for the closeness I feel with God during these times as well. I know that there are days when I am able to cope and to walk and to (waddle) through what I need to and it's from His love and support that gives me the ability to look outside of myself and to find the peace I need to take care of the things I need.

So, here's to another week on the countdown! As I start week 32 tomorrow, I will try to gather more interesting and exciting stories about the funny things of pregnancy and focus less on the painful and uncomfortable parts of it. We go to do maternity/family photos today and I am so excited! Last year my pictures were so beautiful and I am hoping to add more to my collection to show my children when they are older! Have a great week and a fantastic St. Patricks Day on Tuesday (I'm Irish, and it's a pretty big deal here in my house so I know we will be going crazy!).

This was just too cute not to share: Finch's first trip to the park and first time in a swing was a crazy success and he was so so happy! Look at those little teeth and that smile! I just swoon whenever I get to hold this little guy and play with him. I am definitely a smitten mama!!

This was my favorite shot from last year's photo shoot (courtesy of Amber Cardinet Photography) and I just love it and hope to be able to share pictures like this with my children someday. Even if it doesn't feel like it some days, pregnancy is so beautiful and I am grateful to have these memories to cherish after years of worrying with my health issues that I wouldn't be able to.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Liz

30 weeks down...Ten (ish) to go!!

Oy vey! It's been a very long time since I last posted on our blog and I am sorry for the immense delay! Let's just say things have been hectic the last few months and especially this last month in particular.

Ben's work has taken some hits with budget cuts and with hours changing when work isn't coming in and we weren't able to keep up with the hits and had to leave our beloved home in Teton and are now back in Rexburg. We miss our old home and still almost drive all the way back to Teton when we do our errands because it was our home for the longest of any of our homes.

We live now in downtown Rexburg (if you've ever been to Rexburg, downtown doesn't really mean that much) and are only a five minute walk from the school and Ben can walk to both of his jobs in a few minutes time and we are saving a lot of gas with our car. It's a cute little place. Definitely smaller than our last place but very cozy and cute and just what we have wanted and needed. We love it and are loving the close proximity to everything. Ben is able to come home now every day for lunch and I love that. It's a nice little moment for all of us when he comes home and we can chat for a few minutes before he is off to his second job. (Btw, both jobs are doing much better, we have been immensely blessed and I can't even begin to describe how the Lord has blessed our lives with this move!)

Now that we are settling into our new home, I felt it was time to start writing up on the blog again and to begin the 10 week countdown again to when Rosemary will come into our lives officially and permanently (as if it hasn't felt permanent yet, I can say the 8ish months I have been carrying her are official enough!). Just as I did with Mr. Finch, I will do a weekly blog about how we are doing and how I am feeling with my pregnancy. Things began to change pretty quickly with Finch around 35ish weeks and we are being cautious and preparing in case things go the same way with our little Rose and she comes sooner, so this may be a 10 week countdown, it may be less or more depending on how my health continues :)

So here goes:

I am 30.5 weeks along now and am doing pretty well. Rose has already dropped a little bit and I feel her sitting at the base of my pelvis and boy, let me tell you, I am already tired of it! I feel like I have been riding a bike and have the bruises on my tailbone and pelvic floor from being out of shape (no I haven't ridden a bike, my poor pelvis would die), and I also (sorry if this is too much info) feel like I have been kicked between the legs if I move wrong. I'm sure a lot of the women reading this post understand what I'm talking about.

30 weeks along!!

Besides that, and some scary water weight I had that took us to the doctor to make sure I wasn't getting preeclampsia early (don't worry I ended up being okay and the water weight is going away again) I am doing really well and I feel my little bird kick and move all of the time. She is very active and is all over the place. I am going to miss feeling her roll over and move my tummy, but probably not the times she headbutts my bladder and I almost wet myself in public.

My sleeping beauty. During our ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, she was asleep but her umbilical cord kept floating in front of her face!! IF you look behind the cord, you'll see a nose that looks like mine and some lips and an eye. She is just so lovely and such a sweet baby (in my tummy already). She responds when I talk to her and if she is hurting me I can ask her to stop or to move and there have been a few times that she responds and moves for me. This has been the case since week 16. 

At this point, she is about three pounds (she was almost that two weeks ago so she may be a little bigger) and the size of a large head of cauliflower. I am so excited to meet her and have gone crazy making her headbands and getting her side of the nursery ready.

As for the wonderful men in my life, Ben is very busy with work and with school. I don't know how the man does it all and still manages to be the greatest friend and husband and father I could ever ask for to me and to Finch. He is still studying special education and is now looking for ways to incorporate American Sign Language into it because he loves sign language. We have been learning some words so we can communicate with Finch and with my partial deafness in my right ear it has been so helpful for when we are in public and I can't hear when someone or when he is talking to me. It's been a huge blessing and we are excited to see what we can find to help make this a part of his career.

Look at my handsome men!!

Finch is now 10 months. Yes, I said that correctly, TEN MONTHS!!! My sweet little man is getting so big and is so mobile. He is crawling and standing on everything and is getting so so close to walking. I love it and I love seeing how he is growing and learning so quickly and what an incredible little boy he is. He is the master of escaping and is so quiet about it you have to watch because he is like a velociraptor and is always looking for the weakness in any set up for his escape. I love it and hate it all at the same time, but it has made for some hilarious and impressive stories. He loves his daddy and he loves to cuddle with me and is so curious about Zola, and loves babies. I think he will love Rosie a lot and will probably just try to love on her a little too much. We are excited for them to be best buddies though.

My little mini me in looks but Ben's mini me in personality. He is just wonderful and so happy. We can't go anywhere without someone stopping us to tell us what a beautiful child we have or what a happy boy he is. I love it, and I love him!!

This was taken during one of our quieter moments. He is so busy and all over the place but sometimes he will crawl into my arms when he is ready to sleep and just passes out. I love this more that words can describe and I love that he feels so safe in my arms.

Finally, look at that smile!! Yesterday in line for a cookie, he kept smiling at the lady in front of me and she asked me if he is always this happy and smiley. I said, pretty much from day one he has been this way and we love it. I mean, come on, look at that smile and that face!

So that's pretty much it for a recap and for week 30. My birthday is this weekend and I am sure I will recap for you all on how that went when I write my blog for week 31!

Love you all!

Sincerely,

Liz, Ben, Finch, Rosie, and Zola