Almost There....!

The past couple weeks have been pretty miserable for me. I've had a cold for about 3 weeks and then last weekend I started getting a low-grade fever and flu-like symptoms. My doctor did call in some flu medicine that I was able to take that I don't think worked, and after talking to another doctor and two trips to urgent care, it was determined that I had a really bad sinus infection and two bad ear infections. Needless to say, I felt absolutely horrible and was wishing this baby would come now so I could take some medicine. Well, God didn't think it was time for Trenton to come (which it was too early anyways), but after finally getting a doctor to give me some medicine for my ear infections, I started feeling better quickly. Luckily though, after about a week on this medicine, my ears are virtually all healed, though I still have this nasty cold that seems like it's never going to go away. Throughout this whole time of being miserably sick though, I can say I have the most wonderful caring husband in the world :) He took care of me the whole time and forced me to stay in bed the entire week, or on the couch when I needed to work from home. I do love him :)

This week was also Christmas! It definitely has not felt like Christmas, nor have I been as prepared and excited as I normally am. I'll blame it on being so sick. We had a wonderful family game night on Christmas Eve and ended up playing an intense, cut-throat 7 hour game of Monopoly. No matter what game is played, it is always so vicious! Everyone was too scared to play Phase 10 this year though since I've won two years in a row... :)


Here is my 36 week picture! I also created the whole 9 month photo collage. The last picture to take will be the day I go into the hospital! Because hopefully I won't make it to 40 weeks or longer.....

Over the weekend we got our maternity photos back! Joseph and I decided we are a pretty cute couple; which naturally means we are making cute babies.... :) Here are a few of our favorites!

The tag says "Do Not Open Until January 2013" in case you can't read it

Week 34

I am finally to that point where I actually feel pregnant. Of course I have felt our little baby move constantly for the past few months, but I have been so blessed and grateful for such an easy pregnancy, that I haven't really had much of the "typcial" pregnancy issues. Until the past couple weeks. I have been getting more and more uncomfortable since Trenton is so low into my hips that it makes sitting and standing and lying down uncomfortable after just a short period of time. Which of course leaves no other position to be in but uncomfortable and painful. But at least this all started with only less than 2 months left. I can deal for such a short period of time. Hopefully....

Last weekend we ended up calling the doctor because I was having some pretty bad contractions in my back, and since I really don't know what exactly I should be looking for when it comes to actual labor, a call to the doctor helped. But after about 2 1/2-3 hours of those contractions, and some heat and Tylenol, they did finally stop. I have been having quite recently and frequently though, a lot of menstrual-like pain/cramping in my abdomen; which I read is a sign that real labor could be close :)

I had my 34 week check up today and mentioned the frequent (and viturally constant yesterday and this morning) cramps I've been having and the doctor decided to check to see if I was dilated at all. I wasn't, which is a good thing since Trenton needs to cook for at least another 3 weeks :) Since I've had a cold the past week and a half and can't seem to kick this cough, I did get permission to take some Robitussin to hopefully get rid of it before Trenton makes his debut. Even though I don't like taking medicine, it will be nice to not cough every 30 seconds. I'm sure my coworkers would appreciate it too....
At my work Christmas party last Friday night, my coworker's wife (who so graciously did our last 3D ultrasound) felt around Trenton and said that since he is so low, she would be surprised if I did make it 40 weeks; she was thinking I'll probably deliver around 38 weeks or so. So here's to hoping that she is right!

Over the weekend we also took some maternity photos, so I can't wait to see how those turn out! These last few weeks are still pretty busy on the weekends, which is wonderful, although my days at work have been slow. But hopefully we will be able to make it through the holidays, with as little discomfort as possible, so we can spend time with family, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and anticipate the day our little boy decides to enter the world!

8 Weeks 'til We Meet

Trenton,

Today marks 32 weeks of you growing inside me and only 8 more weeks until your due date. Daddy and I are getting more and more excited to meet you! This week was Thanksgiving; how did you like the 4 days of delicious Thanksgiving food?? It'll be even more fun next year when you can eat some of it yourself. This weekend Daddy and I got your room all set up! We bought the last items needed for you, set up your crib, washed all your clothes and organized everything. It was so fun to be able to work together with Daddy to get ready for you. We even got your diaper bags and my hospital bag packed and ready to go. Daddy decided he wanted his OWN diaper bag for you....so I guess we will be ready no matter what then! We even stocked up on diapers and a ton of wipes from Babies R Us' Black Friday sale this year. We are pretty sure that Black Friday is a no-go from now on except for maybe stocking up on diapers and wipes again. It was such a good deal!

You have been growing and moving around like crazy still; kicking so hard! I am getting tired of having to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes so I am hoping you come early :) Also, your wonderful Aunt Steffie bought Grandma Kathy a plane ticket to come see you in January! We are all so excited and grateful. I'm sure you will learn too, there is nothing like having your mommy with you in such a life-changing event :) The other day you and I scared Aunt Brittany. And of course Daddy and I thought it was hilarious. I have been getting contractions lately, some stronger than others, but nothing terrible. But one strong contraction came and stopped me mid-sentence. When Aunt Brittany thought it was you kicking me really hard, I said it was actually a contraction and I'm pretty sure her heart skipped a beat or two thinking we had to get to the hospital ASAP :)

We did have your 32 week check up today and the doctor said you have a really strong heartbeat and are measuring perfectly. Always good news of course!  I've seen those pictures on the Internet of seeing the baby's hand or foot imprinted through the mom's stomach and I've been wondering if that is going to be you. You are still moving so strongly so I am always checking to see if I can see you through my stomach :)

And as always, here is the 8 month photo! My shirt is getting a bit small, so hopefully I won't stretch it out too much more since I used to wear this shirt all the time pre-pregnancy.....We only have two more photos left before we get to actually photograph your cute little self :)

Hello, Sweet Boy!

The past couple weeks have been the start of the very busy season! It is nice that I seem to have a lot more energy than most pregnant women at 30 weeks. It helps get my never ending to-do list done. Though as soon as I stop moving, I definitely feel the reprecussions of going non-stop....

I've never been the type of person who could just relax and do nothing on vacation, and combine that with being pregnant makes for a very tiresome self when I get back. Last week Joseph and I got to spend the weekend in Las Vegas with my coworkers. We had a lot of fun walking around all the hotels and gambling some. Trenton, your daddy is going to have to teach you to play blackjack because he is pretty darn good :) He ended up winning a pretty good amount of money! But then I lost most of it playing slots.....oops. In Vegas, you walk everywhere on the strip, so I definitely got my excercise in; and I'm pretty sure I made up for the past 7 months of not excercising as much as I should have. And poor Trenton definitely got his fair share of second (or third?)-hand smoke :( One fun thing we did with my coworkers though was tour the Hoover Dam! That was really neat to see, though every single one of us was worn out from that. But Joseph and I got to meet up with my mom and sister who so graciously drove the 4 hours from Bakersfield to come see us :) It is always wonderful to be able to see my mommy.

After the busy weekend in Vegas, came the next busy weekend and preparations for my baby shower! It was really fun to help plan and prepare for that. A good number of family and friends came for the shower and Trenton got some much needed items, which of course is wonderful and greatly appreciated.

Then came our 30 week check up! Trenton, Daddy and I are so excited that we get to meet you in just 10 weeks! Though we of course, me especially, won't mind you coming a few weeks earlier.....The check up went well; nothing too special of an appointment. I did meet with one of the two male doctors at my clinic though. I am very apprehensive about going in to labor when one of the male doctors is on call at the hospital but it was good to meet with him. It didn't really settle too many nerves about having a male OB deliver my baby, but that's okay.

One of my coworker's wife is an LPN at an OB clinic, and she so graciously offered to give us an ultrasound for free. So of course I wanted to take her up on that offer! On Tuesday, Joseph and I got to see our precious little baby again. In 3D :) Technology is so amazing and we are so blessed to be able to see our son before he is even born. She did have some trouble getting some good pictures of Trenton though because he is wedged so far into my pelvis already. Which she said when I do go into labor, will most likely help me dilate quickly; which of course sounds wonderful to me! But she also said that is the reason why I have to get up and go to the restroom every 15 minutes (literally) and why my hips hurt so much. But at least since I do have to get up every 15 minutes, the walking helps relieve some of the pain in my hips :) Trenton wasn't really cooperating too well with us during the ultrasound either. He kept putting his hands and feet by his face and moving around too much. He also seems to like sitting folded up in a little ball; silly boy.....we are pretty sure he is going to like to sleep with his hands by his face though so mittens are going to be a necessary investment for us. Trenton also has some big feet! In our last 3D ultrasound at 17 1/2 weeks, Trenton looked exactly like Joseph, but in this one we could see he has more of me in him as well :) He was making some faces for us too it seemed, so I really think he is going to have his daddy's personality. A life of laughter is ahead of us in our little family...... :)

Here are a few of the pictures we got of our sweet little baby the other day!

Look at that adorable little smile :) He kept that arm up by his face the entire time

This one looks like he is puffing out his cheeks like he is blowing bubbles or something, because the other pictures his cheeks and lips don't look that big. But who knows, I've always had pretty chubby cheeks too..... 

This one he is completely folded in half. But still the most adorable little baby in the world :)



Colors of Change

I love living in a state where Mother Nature celebrates the changing of seasons. In Bakersfield the only seasons were hot and not-so-hot; with an occasional small splash of rain in April. But in Atlanta, I get to experience one of my favorite times of the year: fall. All of the leaves are starting to change and it really does make my long commute to work and back that much more joyous. Trenton, I can't wait until next fall when we could play in the leaves together right after Daddy rakes them all up into a pile :) Besides, that's what piles of leaves are for, right??

One huge change is that this week marks the beginning of the last stretch of my pregnancy! The past 7 months have been a relative breeze with only slight discomforts here and there. As these last 3 months progress, I hope I continue to have an easy pregnancy. Although Trenton is a strong and active little baby, so the bigger he gets, I just know the more uncomfortable I will get with how hard he already kicks me.

Today was my 7 month check up and now I will have to start going to the doctor every two weeks. Which means Trenton is getting closer to meeting the world :) I had to do the much-dreaded glucose test today though to see if I have gestational diabetes. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I'll know the results in a couple days. But since I didn't get a phone call today I am guessing it was negative and I'm good to go. I am going to have to adjust my diet some over the next 3 months to get more protein and fiber to hopefully help with my weight gain. I also had to get a shot today since Joseph and I are opposite blood types. Since I'm O-Negative and he is O-Positive, we could possibly have issues in future pregnancies. Trenton is fine, but my body could possibly fight against future babies if I don't get this injection with Trenton and every other baby here on out all because of our blood types. But overall Trenton is great and seems to be growing just fine :)

Over the past few weeks, there is so much going on in our little lives. Brittany and Montez got married and spent their first week of married life in Spain. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful and I loved being able to be part of their big day. And they get to keep the memories of their European travels with them, pickpocketed and all :) There was also a sudden death of a long time friend whom we will all miss so dearly. Trenton, you will get to grow up hearing stories of a wonderful woman and someday we will all see her again in Heaven.

Pretty much every weekend from here until 2013, Joseph and I have something going on. I'm thinking there is some good in being due right after the holidays because all this busyness is sure to make the time go by quickly. Which of course means we get to meet our little baby that much sooner. This weekend Joseph and I finally get to take our Las Vegas trip! It will be so nice to have a mini vacation before the two of us become the three of us. Since we will be going with my coworkers and their spouses/significant others, hopefully there won't be much work talked about :) We don't really have that much planned except a dinner and cocktail night (yay soda..... :| ) in my boss' suite, and then a trip to tour the Hoover Dam. But my mom and sister are going to drive over for the weekend so I am really looking forward to that! And some relaxing hopefully.

And of course, 28 weeks here we are! When comparing to last month's picture, I actually have grown a significant amount the past four weeks....!

 
I was also playing on an app on my phone and created this collage of the first 6 months. It's fun to see how small I was when we first found out I was pregnant, and how much Trenton has grown over a short 6 month period :)

Hearts Filled with Joy and Sorrow

This weekend was filled with both extreme joy and extreme sorrow. I found out that a young couple I went to college with lost their precious little baby boy at 38 weeks over the weekend. I don't know the parents of Baby Ezra as well as I knew other family members, but every student and faculty member at my college is so close-knit, it is heart-wrenching. I have had a few other friends lose their babies late in their pregnancies and I cannot imagine it. Though now that I am pregnant, it does become more and more real. You always know things like this happen but never in a million years do you think it would happen to you. But the truth is, and this weekend and this young family was sadly shown, none of us are exempt from saddness and grief and death. It really can happen to anyone; it can happen to us. It makes me ever so grateful for every little kick and movement I feel because it is proof that our little Trenton is still with us. Prayers for this family would be so appreciated, I'm sure, as they cope with the loss of their son, but also with the joy knowing that Ezra gets to grow up in the arms of Jesus. It is such a sad time, but knowing they will see Ezra again someday is a great hope they have in Jesus.

On a happier note for the weekend, Brittany and Montez got married! It was a busy and eventful weekend for our family as we get everything set up and organized for their special day. It was absolutely beautiful and all of Brittany's plans for their wedding turned out fantastic. And of course she was absolutely gorgeous :) I can't wait to see all of their pictures from the photographer and especially can't wait for them to get back from their honeymoon in Spain for the week. Let's just hope they worked on their Spanish while on the plane :) They are going to have so much fun celebrating their first week as Mr. and Mrs. Cammon in such a historical place like Barcelona. I am so excited for them and look up to their relationship.

Please pray for both of these couples, for their grief and their joy as each of them start a new and different journey in their lives and continue to rely on our great God in all times of life.

Miracles of God

I have to start out by saying that God is just so amazing and I am so grateful to be called His daughter and to know that He takes care of us, even in the funniest ways.  I've been a bit stressed lately about some financial concerns and have been praying daily for God to show us how to tackle everything and be alright about it. I was even praying (semi-jokingly) for God to give us a miracle while we are in Las Vegas in November (more on that later) and let us when even just a couple hundred dollars, because that would help tremendously. But then I get the news yesterday that I got a bonus at work! We finished up a long and tedious project my team has been working on for a couple of years, even before I started, and we got our bonuses from that client! When I logged in to look at my check stub I almost cried. I got a ginormous bonus! Even after taxes cut out 40% (which sucks by the way) it was still a huge chunk of money that helps us tremendously toward our goals and helps us get on track. I have been in such awe and so grateful for the miracles God gives. I asked for a small couple hundred dollars while in Vegas, and God decides to one up that and go for a couple thousand right now instead. God is so so good..... :)

Now about Vegas. My company is wonderful and I love it so much. I mentioned this awhile back, but now its actually happening. As a treat for doing so well last year and bringing in so much revenue for our company, my boss is treating our entire team and our spouses to a weekend in Las Vegas! So in November we will be heading for a nice weekend "babymoon" to Vegas :) of course with my co-workers but that's alright. But my wonderful mommy and sister will be making the 5 hour drive over so we will be able to see them too!


On another happy note, a couple weeks ago Joseph finally got to feel Trenton kick! It was so exciting. Sometime I feel like I was more excited than he was but that's okay :) Trenton had been very active at that time and I've been waiting for the weekends to have Joe feel him. But of course as soon as I call him over Trenton stops moving. So I started pushing him around to get him moving and I think I made him mad because then he just wouldn't stop moving and kicking! And hard too. Which now of course I definitely do not mind. And he has been moving practically non-stop since.

A funny story happened a few weeks back too. Joseph wanted to learn about swaddling. So what does he recommend? We get a blanket and put Brittany on the floor to act as "baby". I just wish we got some pictures of us swaddling an her like a baby!

We also had an appointment on Friday for my 6 month check up. Nothing too exciting but the doctor said Trenton is an active little guy. He kept kicking her as she was trying to to listen to his heartbeat :)

And here is my 6 month photo!