36 week update :)

Ian at Skyline with friends

4 days of hospital bed rest 

Home bed rest

My friend and hairdresser Emily made a house call! 

She cut 4 inches off and did some nice highlights and lowlights plus

my eyebrows, all from the comfort of my own bathroom!

Ian and his cousin Charlie, enjoying time with Poppy

Ian reading to his angry birds

Day 16 of complete bed rest! My heart goes out to all the mommas who have had to endure much worse, but boy, I did not see these days coming. It's been such a beautiful time to watch community rally around me, although it's much harder to accept the generosity of people than I imagined it would be. Seriously- people have done my laundry, dishes, vacuuming, mopping, setting up the nursery, cleaned my bathrooms, brought me food, just come to visit- and one friend even completely cleaned out and organized my walk in closet! I'm so thankful that I have still been able to attend meetings and administrate some things from the couch (thanks FaceTime!), but in some ways, it feels like life has just stopped. Like, I knew once baby came, I wouldn't go out for a few weeks and I would heal and rest and find our life's new rhythm, but adding so many extra weeks of isolation has made it way more emotionally draining for me.  I know, I know- who doesn't kinda dream of a few days where their only task in life is to stay laying down? First off, I'm not sick and I'm not active, so I find that if I nap during the day at all, I have a terrible time sleeping at night. I wish I could like, bank the hours of sleep for next month, but it just doesn't work that way. Second, lots of these days, Ian is around me in the living room, wanting me to play, crying and wanting mommy hugs, or needing something from mommy that I just cannot get up and give him. This also means I don't watch any movies or tv because we try to limit media around Ian at his young age.... so I'm left just laying around, trying NOT to only be counting down the seconds left until this little guy arrives!

How far along?  36weeks + 2 days

Maternity clothes? Almost sad to see them go soon. Being on bed rest means I rarely put real clothes on...

Weight Gain? +27 pounds 

Stretch Marks? nope

Sleep? Wake up at 2am and 6am every night to take the meds I'm on the stop contractions. 

Movement? Yes. Making sure I continue to feel him as we get closer each day.

What I Miss? Being able to think about things other than this pregnancy. I'm totally nesting, but only in my head because I'm not supposed to get up! I've seen plenty of women get the itch and just get antsy at the end of their pregnancies, but I'm thinking it's got to be worse for someone who is forced to just sit and not move. Reading my bible and playing music has really help alleviate some of this mental/emotion stress I've been placing on myself.  

Symptoms? Lots of contractions, pressure, and an overall feeling of HE's COMING IN 5 DAYS!!!

Food cravings? None! I've been treated to so many meals by so many friends, I'm having trouble being able to dream up what I'd like them to bring.

Food aversions? None.

Best thing this week? Getting some time with my hubby to just be honest and real about how I'm feeling. AND getting to step into a 22 month mission with my church. Even though I couldn't attend our big commissioning service, our online campus made me feel like a part of it all.

How Ian's doing with everything? He's got a count down on the wall, counting down the days to Neil's arrival. He understands as best as we can tell, that a baby is in Mommy's belly and will be coming home soon.

What I’m Looking Forward to? Meeting this lil troublemaker. He's already stolen my heart, and I haven't even met eyes with him yet.

Weekly Wisdom? I am NOT in control. See, I'd really hoped for an all natural birth. And when I found out that I definitely needed a c-section, I worked through it and totally embraced it, but then got a little too overzealous about it. I wanted to take control, to really make this "my birth story". So I researched, I studied, and I wrote a fabulous birth plan. But it turns out when you're high risk for multiple reasons, and you have an outstanding doc who's considered the best in the area, sometimes you just can't have what you want- you get what you need. So even though I don't know everything that will happen next week when they cut me open and my lil baby officially joins the human race, I am no longer clutching to the things I think "should" happen or the things that I wanted to demand simply to feel more in control- I'm just letting go. I know the God in whom I trust, I know I have nothing to fear, and I know everything will be alright!

Milestones? I'm practically there!!! 

Next Appointment? NONE!!! The next time I see my doc, he'll be slicing me open!

We are ready for you baby Neil! 

See you all soon- as a family of 4. We'll take all the prayers and encouragements you have for us!

L J

34 weeks and Counting Down the Days....

Well Well Well 2nd pregnancy. Oh the surprises you have for me. People say no two pregnancies are the same, so I guess my body is just proving that to me.
Here's my normal update, and then I can elaborate on what this week has been like.

How far along? 34 weeks + 3 days (because each specific day really counts now)

Maternity clothes? All the time. And the more pajama like they are, the better.

Weight Gain?  + 23 pounds so no real weight gain in the past month...

Stretch Marks? nope

Sleep? I've had a terrible cold for 2 weeks now with scratchy and burning throat, deep cough, red eyes with some gross eye boogies, and just a general appearance like I've been hit by a mac truck. Needless to say, sleep has been very hard to come by. Even for James, who says I snore when I'm sick :(

Movement? Yes, little Neil moves a lot, which I love and is very reassuring. I remember once Ian was born, it was a little sad that my belly was so still... so empty. Took some getting used to again.

What I Miss? Being able to nest and prepare. I will elaborate more below these questions, but I am now on complete bedrest until baby arrives, so I'm gonna say I miss pretty much everything.

Symptoms? Well, there's no doubt I'm pregnant, but this week's symptoms have included bleeding and cramping. No fun.

Food cravings? Having this cold has kept me from being able to smell and taste things for the last few weeks, so no real cravings. But as I'm on bedrest and people ask what they can bring me while I am in the hospital, I just keep mixing it up with my normal favorites and they've been so delicious. Thanks to everyone who's visited, but you get an extra gold star for bringing food (or flowers).

Food aversions? None in specific. But sometimes lifting the little hospital tray is disappointing and I just can't eat anything.

Best thing this week? Getting to spend time with my mom. Even though she's only come to visit for about an hour each day (she's on Ian duty), my mom's really been in this with me in the past couple of days and I feel like we're really bonding.

How Ian's doing with everything?  I haven't been away from Ian like this ever. I mean, he's done weekends away with grandparents, but this feels just so weird. We've had to have someone with him 24/7, as James continues to work, serve at church in prior commitments, and try to care for me as well. So while James sees Ian some, we've been creating a schedule of caregivers. It's so hard to know how long to keep scheduling as well. Is it a few more days? Weeks? We'll still need help after baby comes too.... soo... But Ian is doing great. 

What I’m Looking Forward to? Meeting Neil. At this point, some of the joys of nesting and preparing have vanished, but I am trying to soak up this bed rest time and see what Jesus may have for me in the quiet moments..

Weekly Wisdom? Go with your instincts. For some reason, I began very slowly packing a hospital bag a few weeks ago. Even though most folks wait till much closer, I just felt a nudge to get things together. I even put my shampoo and conditioner into little travel bottles, added in some of my favorite comfy clothes, and tried to think through other items I might need. Turns out, when I needed the bag quickly- it was there ready for me. I'm so glad I didn't wait or think it was too early to get stuff together.

Milestones? Neil is still cooking. That's milestone enough for me. We did have to go ahead and schedule the c-section at my last apt, so my April baby will officially be a March baby. Now we wait and see if he can wait until his scehduled date, or if he'll demand to be out sooner.

Next Appointment? Being in the hospital currently, every day feels like an appointment! But my next one in his office is scheduled for March 18th.

Sooo... Long story short- I had my OB appointment Monday and they confirmed I definitely need a c-section. We scheduled it and my heart was really ok with it. Now we had a clock, a countdown of sorts, and I had 21 days to get prepared for baby. And then the next morning I wake up bleeding and call my dr, who sends me to get checked out. I spent 4 days in the hospital, and then was released home to be on complete bed rest- only allowed up to use the bathroom and shower, and can sit up during meals. NOT the way I envisioned my month of March for sure. What's hard is that I really feel fine, so watching everyone cook and clean for me is a challenge. Plus, Ian is all around me at home, so I'm not actually free to watch Netflix or read books as people have suggested. BUT I do understand it could be years before I ever get time to put my feet up and really rest, so I'm trying to find those moments and soak them up as best I can. My number one job at this point is to keep baking this baby, one more day at a time.
Any of you ever been on bed rest and have any tips or pointers?

L J