Week 31

I am 31 weeks this week and I can't believe only 9ish weeks to go.  I feel pretty good for the most part although it is harder and harder to be on my feet all day long and bending over to grab stuff in the OR is a task I do not look forward to.  Luckily my coworkers really do help me out as much as they can.  I have had a cold for almost two weeks and can't seem to shake it.  One of the down falls of being pregnant is that all medications say not recommended for pregnancy or take at the risk of your baby having three heads.  As a first time mom I know I am extremely cautious and by my second I will have mellowed out some, but for now I feel the best thing is to not take medication and push through it. 

One thing that was different for me this week is that Wednesday I woke up at 0330 and couldn't fall back to sleep.  I played Spider Solitaire for about 30 minutes laid in bed trying to fall asleep and nothing helped I was awake.  Finally at 0430 I got up.  I decided to paint my toe nails because I had a doctor's appointment the next day and I am always afraid of being placed in stirrups.  Working in the health field manicured feet is greatly appreciated by staff.   I painted my nails and then decided to organize my linen closet.  After that I had built up an appetite and longed for my craving this week of waffles with peanut butter and syrup.  I went down stairs but I noticed my pantry was a mess so I organized that as well.  By now it was close to 0530 so I made coffee, breakfast and packed Travis and I's lunches. I fed the dogs and then headed back upstairs to get ready.  Travis was very shocked to see me up and ready because usually he is the first to get up but he was very pleased with how much I accomplished. 

My doctors appointment went well and everything is right on track! 

The other change this week is that I retain water like a camel! I really have to be careful in this heat that I watch how much salt I eat and drink enough that I go pee every 15 minutes.   Today though my wonderful coworkers informed me that my nose has started to spread! First your belly, then your feet, hands and now my already larger nose is growing. I am waiting for feel the pregnancy glow but all I feel is the growth of my body.  I am hoping I don't look to swollen this weekend because I have maturity pictures. 

You can start to see my pregnancy line my tiny belly button and my big nose.  I love being pregnant:)

Grow Guppy Grow

At about 26 weeks

At 28 weeks

I am in my last trimester and things are really starting to change.  It is funny how I will put a shirt on and then the same shirt back on in a few weeks and it is has shrunk.  For the first time in my life I can see the bottom of my deep belly button and in a few weeks I think I will have just a flat button.  I can feel Guppy kicking and really moving now and sometimes it feels like she is trying to break out of the belly.  She always reminds me when my bladder is full and luckily I have been able to make it to a bathroom after she uses my bladder as a bouncy house.  I am able to feel her little parts now on the outside of my belly when she really pushes.  So far I think I have only felt feet or hands and a bottom....this is so much fun!

Project Guppy's Room

This is the room right after I cleared it out and we set up the crib..if Travis looks tired it is because Gordon kept him up all night playing Axis and Allies. 

One of my favorite things is being able to have an excuse to redecorate.  I cleared out the guest room as soon as I could...which also put me on bed rest.  After I recovered though there was no stopping me.  I have defiantly hit a few bumps in the road.  We were given a crib by a doctor I work with and I spent all weekend sanding and repainting it.  It was really cute but when I went to put it back together and looked up the manual online and all I found was recalls for the crib due to infant death.  Very discouraging.  Thankfully a co-worker gave me her very gently used crib which matched our rocking chair perfectly!   I don't have a theme for my baby's room, but I wanted something that was modern and antique-ish all in one.  I don't really love all the baby stuff so instead I went with bold prints and  color.   I had many plans for the room which really means a lot of projects.  The first project was "The Wall." I am on a budget so I decided that instead of ordering a $40 stencil for the wall I would just make one.  I painted the wall gray and I traced my stencil made from cardboard over and over again on the wall. It took me a good 6-8 hours just to trace.  Then with a help of a friend Bree we started hand painting the wall.

It was LONG work.  This is how much we painted in about 4 hours! 

Travis enjoying my hard work!

 I spent the next few days devoted to painting between the lines for my baby's wall.  I was very pleased on how it turned out. Next time though I am going to spend the $40 and buy the stencil because it is worth it!

 My next project was the baby's changing table.  Again I couldn't do something simple so I searched and searched and found an antique dresser that I bought for $100 and refinished.

Before

After

I sanded the dresser down and started painting.  This was much easier than the wall and only took me about a day and a half.  The changing table pad cover doesn't match and so it will be removed along with the basket.  I am going to put a mirror above it which will really look great. 

I went on a girls weekend and bought the rug, stuffed dog who we have named Phylis.  My neighbor and I made Guppy's bedding which was a lot of fun.  I bought the side table and bookcase online.  I was a  little nervous buying furniture online but I think they turned out perfectly. 

I have a lot still planed for the baby's room but so far Travis and I are very happy with our hard work.  I love to go and sit in the rocking chair and rock back and forth day dreaming of what our new baby will be like.  I think the boys (Charlie, Henry and Watson) love the room the most.  If I leave the door open I always find them either under the bed or laying on the rug waiting for their new baby sister to arrive.  

Travis reading to Guppy.

Daddy Daughter Time

This was at the end of 29 weeks

Since I can remember Travis and I have read to Guppy almost every night.  It is usually the One Year Bible but for Father's Day I bought Travis as many Bill Pete books I could find on Amazon.  Now we have been reading those book to her too! She loves to hear Travis read to her and always starts moving.  I remember one time when Travis sat and sat with his hand on my belly waiting for a kick and finally he started talking to her and as soon as she heard his voice she let out a big kick! Travis's face lit up and we both laughed at the surprise.  I think she will be a Daddy's girl.

Guppy's First Easter

Our first family invite

Before I knew it Easter was here.  Travis and I went to our first Passover meal provided by one of our Bible study members Jesus (yes his name is Jesus).   It was really fun to go through what Jesus (the real Jesus) went through right before he was crucified.  We sang songs in Hebrew, ate bitter roots and other odd things that were hard to believe people have ever liked.  It was A LOT of fun and very educational.  I didn't realize how much tradition took place during those meals and how every part is significant.

Park Family's first Easter

 

Easter morning we headed to our church, First Baptist.  It is a new church for us and the population is a tad bit older but they have defiantly made us feel like family and we have loved being a part of it.  They have a pot luck I think every month which Travis and I have loved going to.  My favorite part of church is having Travis feel Guppy move while we sing.  Travis recently joined the choir and I don't think they will let me not join the choir too for much longer.  We feel very blessed to have such a great family church. 

Second Trimester

Side view of Guppy curled up in a little ball

I never thought my first trimester would end, but I was not sad to see it go! I hit 15 weeks and felt like I came out of a fog and was me again.  I had a lot more energy and a lot less nausea.  It gave me hope that this wasn't going to be so bad.  It is funny how everyone tells you how great pregnancy is, and it is, but they forget to mention all the difficulties of it.  You pee nonstop, your nipples start to grow and rates you didn't think humanly possible, and that glow that is supposed to come...well lets just say I am still waiting.  However, it is more than worth it when you go to your ultrasound and see your little baby looking at you.  It is truly a miracle! It is amazing to me how quickly you fall in love and would do anything to protect your tiny baby in your belly. One of the many blessing is watching Travis enjoy the process and be so supportive.  We talk about parenting and our hopes and dreams for being a parent.  Most of the time I am very nervous because parenting is a huge responsibility.  When someone else's child is bad you always have Mom and Dad to either give the child to or blame, but now it is going to be my job to keep this little baby not only alive, but raise them with love and discipline. My other favorite thing that I will never get sick of is feeling Guppy move.  She is a mover and a shaker and I swear she is already dancing in there! She loves Travis's voice, music (especially piano and church singing), and pizza.

Guppy already so photogenic

 The only real hiccup in this trimester was that I tried to redo the baby's room in one day and it pulled all my rib muscles.  I normally can push and push and felt fine while doing it but this time it put me in bed, doctors orders, for five days! I learned not to pick up such heavy things and that I really do not like bedrest. 

At work taking advantage of a full length mirror at about 20 weeks

Baby Park

Well, I am finally starting the blog train again...after some technical difficulties with the Iphone pictures. I will give a quick recap of our life since I posted since Travis has returned.  Most excitingly is we are expecting our first child.  We found out on Christmas in Virginia that I was pregnant. I woke up early that morning and had brought a pregnancy test just in case.  I had been late the last couple of months so I didn't' think anything of the fact I was a few days late again...but when I took the pregnancy test that morning I yelled excitedly for Travis to come look at the test because it was positive! He thought I was playing a trick on him like I always do, but it was real this time. Finding out we were pregnant was the best Christmas gift, especially because we got to be with Travis' family to share the news that morning!

First trimester went by very quickly and with little nausea. But, I did sleep through the entire thing. Thank goodness Travis was there to pick up the slack and get everything done around the house.  We had our first ultrasound at 13 weeks, and I was very nervous because I was worried it was just gas.  The ultrasound tech informed us there was a baby there.  We named our baby guppy.  I didn't start showing until the end of the first trimester.

Guppy is waving at the ultrasound tech...or banging on the uterus to get out

 

First signs of baby