I'm FREE!!!!

Yes, our doctor's appointment this morning went VERY well! I am officially off bed rest, but will continue to be good for a few more days until we are officially 36 weeks....and get through the family reunion my family is helping put on! There are too many things going on to go into labor this weekend! However, we are pleased the restrictions are off and I can go back to being my active self! The baby was great again today. The heartbeat sounded really good as well. I've started to drop and baby is head down and ready to come. I've also dilated to a two and have started to efface. At this point, as soon as I start moving around more, my doctor said that it's still anyone's guess when I'll go. Time will tell!! We're getting close to meeting our new one soon though!! Have a wonderful weekend!

And I Continue to Get Bigger and Bigger....

Time has flown!! It's hard to believe we're into our 35th week! The baby has listened to everyone and stayed content with where he or she has been for the last 4 weeks, so we are hoping to be taken off bed rest tomorrow. If not though, it would only be for another week! At this point, I can't wait to go out for a walk and to the grocery store again! Thankfully, it's only been a modified bed rest, so we've been able to do a few things, such as go to our friend's wedding last weekend, as long as I came home to rest in between the ceremony and reception, and not stay too long at the reception. We made it though!!

Check out that belly!!!

Our nursery is now complete and ready to welcome Baby home! The curtains have gone up and the rocking chair is in place....now we just need the little one here too! We also spent some time a week ago putting together the pack-n-play and the swing, so they are ready too. Here's some pictures of Phil and Matt trying to follow the directions....who would have thought it would take multiple college degrees (and even a law degree) to finally figure it out?! Some portions were definitely not user friendly!!

Bob and Joan were doing their part too!

We look forward to being able to update more again after our appointment tomorrow and introducing you to our new addition soon!

Still Pregnant and Growing Every Day!

It's been almost 2 weeks since our stay at "Hotel Fairview" as one of the nurses called it, and baby has stayed content! I am still on a modified bed rest, which allows me to do a few things around the house once in a while, but for the most part, I am staying pretty quiet! We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and there hasn't been much of a change since last week when we were in after our trip to the hospital, so that is promising! As of right now, I will be on bed rest until I am 35 or 36 weeks, and then will be "released" and see what baby wants to do! Phil and I aren't holding our breath that the baby will wait much beyond my release date, but we could be surprised!

I have been keeping myself busy with getting things ready for school, making birth announcements, reading, watching movies, and connecting with people. The nursery is also starting to look more put together, as final shopping trips were made this last week for those essentials when baby comes home. The bags are also packed, just in case!

Time is flying now! Pretty soon, we will officially be a family of three!

All's Well...For Now!

We went to the doctor again this afternoon for a few other tests and found that all is well, for now! The doctor was happy to see things weren't moving along as fast as she thought they were. Since Monday, there weren't any other changes or progressions, so we were happy with that. The modified bedrest also seems to be helping, since the contractions are less frequent (other than when I'm up and active), so I'll be continuing that routine for probably the next 4-5 weeks. I was being a wishful thinker and hoped I would be completely taken off bedrest today, but was not so lucky! What a dreamer, eh?! However, if we're able to keep the contractions at bay by my lying down, then that's what I'll be doing!


From the sounds of it, our doctor doesn't seem to think I will be going full term (another 7.5 weeks) but didn't think we'd be at risk for delivering in the next couple of weeks either, as long as I take it easy, which was good to hear. She said another 2 weeks would be great, but 4 would be better, so we're making that our mark! However, she also commented that I could be completely fooled and go until 41 weeks too and really be shown God's humorous side! Whatever will be, will be, but Phil and I are going to do all we can so our little one enjoys a few more warm weeks where he or she is currently residing!


Because of these changes, other adaptations in life have had to be made, but it's never so bad that it couldn't be worse! (A wise man (my grandpa) once said that....) I now have had to cancel my participation in some things that were planned for the upcoming weeks, like dance camp, but I know that nothing is worth the health of our baby. There will be other years! It should also help stress levels now that grad school ended today! We made it!!!! Now it's on to finalizing things for the school year so I can rest easy on that front as well, in case this little one decides to come sooner, rather than later.


If you have any good books or movies, let me know! I'm coming up with a list of fun things to do as I rest!

Baby Update

Just a short update for you on the last few days and events. Over the last few weeks, I have been having a few Braxton Hicks contractions here and there, but nothing major, so I didn't pay attention to them and the doctor didn't seem worried. However, starting Saturday afternoon and evening, into Sunday, the contractions started to become more regular and longer. By Sunday night they were pretty long (or so I thought) and a little more to the painful side. I thought I just needed to lie down though, so I did that and hoped all would be fine. Well, we ended up at the hospital Monday afternoon and evening when I called into the doctor and "failed" the questions they asked me. After being monitered for the afternoon and evening, the baby was doing well, which we were all pleased with. However, I was having contractions every 4-6 minutes, and they were coming and going (unlike I originally thought) but they weren't going down enough to feel like it was gone before the next one started (hence why I thought they were 5-20 min long!). So, needless to say, I'm now on a modified bedrest until Thursday afternoon when we're having more tests done. Depending on what they find then, I may be put on full bedrest with medication for the next 4 weeks in hopes the contractions don't go into full labor. Hopefully I will be able to stay on modified bedrest and just lie down when I feel the contractions coming on, but based on the last 4 days, I'm starting to doubt that. However, whatever we need to do to wait awhile to meet the little one, we are both willing to do. I just hope and pray that means I can do whatever needs to be done from home!! We'll update with more news later this week. Until then, I'm going to try to keep Cleatus in his or her warm home! :)

Phil's Birthday Fun!

Phil is now 30 years old!!! He was dreading it and hoping we didn't have a party, but it came and went and he survived!!! The weekend of his birthday we went up north to see his relatives from Colorado that were in town. He enjoyed a nice, quiet weekend of fishing and hanging out and thought his birthday (June 22) had passed without too much commotion. He was able to enjoy a very yummy baseball birthday cake (which wasn't as creative as the fire truck last year, but when you're away from home, you can only be so creative!!!).

(Yes, there is only a "3" candle on the cake.
I told him the "0" didn't mean anything, so it didn't need to be on the cake!)

Well, the following weekend (June 28) I suggested we go out to dinner after church and have a "date" which Phil agreed to. Little did he know it was a "date" with 12 other people! Phil was definitely surprised when we showed up at Champs and had a large table of family and friends there to greet him! He is so wise and mature now..... :)

Check out those big bellies!!

We had another doctor's appointment on Thursday and everything is going well. I'm starting to have more contractions, but am able to control them by lying down and drinking extra water. Baby is head-down at this point, but there is still plenty of time for him or her to move around! We have our tour of the Birthplace at the U of MN tomorrow, so we'll let you know how that goes! We're getting closer to meeting our new little addition every day and we can't wait!

Passed!!

The dreaded glucose test has come....and gone! Whew! I'm glad that one is over! My mom and I went into the hospital this morning about 7:30 and started the test. My initial results of the first blood draw came back normal, so I had to continue on with the full glucose test. However, they lied to me!!! My doctor said that it would be about three hours from start to finish...well, it ended up being about four instead. Let me tell you, that last hour was hard! Had I anticipated it from the beginning, it wouldn't have been a big deal. However, when they did the bait and switch, I wasn't too happy! The baby was definitely unhappy as well as he or she definitely wanted some food by that time! They said the glucose test was three hours, since once you drink it, they draw your blood at one hour, two hours, and three hours (hence the three hour test, but my doctor had said it would be drawn at 1/2 hr, 1 hr and 2 hrs). However, they do the initial blood draw too and it took about 40 minutes to get those results, and then another 10 - 15 to drink the sickingly sweet, orange pop beverage (that you hope you don't see again based on your very empty stomach!). Anyway, you'll all be happy to hear that I made it through the test and PASSED! I hope I never have to do that one again, although I know there are worse things out there. For someone who is not really a fan of orange pop in the first place, drinking it so fast at 8:30 in the morning, on an empty stomach, was not a treat!

During the test, we were able to go and walk around a bit though, so naturally we headed upstairs to the labor and delivery and postpartum floors. Phil and I have our tour next Saturday, so we'll find out everything then, but it was interesting to see the rooms and how things are laid out. The postpartum floor is very secure, which is great. Before today, I knew that security was high around the babies, but I guess I didn't realize it was to that extent. Each room is locked and needs to have a key to swipe in and the nursery is no longer open for viewing. Once you buzz into that section of the floor, you have to check in as well. I guess I'd rather have it that way though, then not know who is coming and going. Don't worry, you can still come and see us in the hospital!

Have a wonderful weekend!!! I feel a craving for ice cream coming on now that I know I'm safe..... hahaha!!! :)