Mice...

Today I got my package from Debbie with this card inside. It is a picture of one of Grandma's favorite things...mice! This is what the card said:

"Shell,

Grandma wanted in on the fun and she picked out this card. You two had such a special bond! Now you have her up in heaven watching out for you and baby Moore. She also wanted you to have the Sesame Street books because of the mice..."

This card brought tears to my eyes because this is exactly what Grandma would have given me:) She always loved mice and everything that had to do with mice, so this was perfect! I know that I am a little emotional right now (lack of sleep. hormones. lack of sleep) but this really meant a lot to me to be reminded of Grandma and what she would have been doing. I can't wait until the baby is old enough to learn about his Great Grandma "DB" and we can read the mouse books together. Thank you so much Deb:)

1 WEEK!

I know I have mentioned how excited I am for Mom to get here, but I thought I would say it again. I AM SO EXCITED! Only one more week and she will be here!

I just looked at my calender today to mark off my "count down" and saw the number 50. Yep, today is day 50 of bedrest! I can't believe that I have gone 50 days without doing ANYTHING! This is the longest I have gone in my entire life without any work, school, shopping, cleaning, cooking, and a million more things! Each day I put a little smile face in the calender to remind myself that I am doing this so we can have a healthy baby...As much as I say it is hard to be on bedrest, really it is very easy. I know that a LOT of women have it a lot more difficult and need much more intervention. I am sitting here able to relax, with a healthy baby inside me. What more could I ask for? Seriously, God has been great to us. I know that my pregnancy was a little different than I expected it would be, but it has still been perfect to me because the baby is doing so well. I am thankful for where I am, and I pray for all the women out there who are not as fortunate.

I hope this week goes by fast because then I will be 37 weeks and not so scared to be moving around! I have so much I want to "do" when I am able, and just can't wait.

7.26.08

A Year ago today I married my best friend. A year ago today we started our journey together. There is nowhere on earth I would rather be than right here by his side. Happy Anniversary Baby, I love you.

36 Weeks*9 MONTHS PREGNANT!

I can't believe that it has been 9 months since we found out I was pregnant...9 months!!! I never imagined that the time would pass so fast, yet so slow...and the time is finally near! I feel GREAT knowing that this little man could come any time now! I really hope he will wait for his Grandma Gunderson to get here though!

I am finally able to get excited again about everything now! I have been so worried the past 2 months that I really have not been able to fully enjoy everything....now I feel like I can enjoy everything again! I feel great, a little large, but great. My belly feels like it may explode soon, but I guess that's what everyone who is pregnant feels like!

Baby Moore is still able to move around quite a bit, and has no problem pushing every major organ of mine out of the way. Right now as I sit here I think my stomach is in my throat. Not a great feeling, but that's OK! He is still head down and I am pretty sure he will not be making any major moves into any other positions...there is just not any more room to do that!

This past week I have felt good enough to go out to lunch with Dayle a few times. I know that this does not sound like something that I should be doing while on bed rest, but believe me, there is no difference. We only went to places where I could just get out of the car and go directly to a seat....it only takes 30 minutes total...and I have felt great both times....no contractions! I think if anything, being able to sit outside to eat lunch, with fresh air and (gasp) people around has been really good for me...really good for my mind and spirit. I do admit, some days I feel like I might be going insane, and it is really nice to have a change, any change!!!

We had my 36 week appointment on Thursday and everything went well. I saw a different Dr. this time because mine was out of town. The Dr. we saw was really nice and pretty funny...so that was good! Now I have met 5 of the 11 doctors from the group. (Whoever is on-call at the hospital when I go into labor is who will deliver the baby) My weight for this week was up a little bit, OK a LOT. 4 POUNDS! Ha! I told the nurse that the scale must be broken and there was no way that it could be true. She just looked at me like I was crazy! Anyways, blood pressure was perfect, belly measured what it should, and baby's heartbeat was strong. When the Dr was measuring my belly he said to me "Well, he feels like a pretty nice size at this point. I bet if you make it to term you will be having a 8.5 pound baby!" HUH! Ha, that was funny, really funny! But as I told him, I would LOVE a big little baby...after this entire scare of him coming early, I would be thrilled with a nice size baby, even if it means a little big!

Baby Development This Week:
Baby is now almost 6 pounds and around 18inches. (Size of a Crenshaw Melon!) He is packing on about 1/2 a pound a week right now. By the end of this week, he will be considered full term!

I am no Martha Stewart!

I just got off the phone with Aunt Debbie and had to share this funny story! Ever since I have been on bed rest my Mom and aunt Debbie keep telling me to do some "crafts." Well if you know either of them, then you would know that they are the least "crafty" people on earth! This is exactly where I got my ability, or should I say inability, to do "crafty" things. Even the word "craft" gives me the goosebumps! So what does my Aunt Debbie send me in my weekly package??? A MARTHA STEWART CRAFT! Ha! I opened it up and saw how cute it was (On the package cover---already assembled!) and then I had a nervous feeling when I read how easy Martha says it is to do! Oh, Martha Stewart, you have no idea how challenging this "easy craft" will be for me! So, now I have all the components out of the bag and I am ready to assemble the cute little animal picture frames...if only I could start the first step. Yep, already lost! I have been staring at them for 30 minutes trying to figure out what to do first....Oh boy this might be a long project but it is perfect for me and my unlimited amount of time! Thanks Deb for sending me things to cheer me up and keep me busy!

35 Week...Holy Belly!

Um, All I have to say is that I feel like there is no way my belly could get any bigger! I was going to try to take all the "Belly Pics" wearing these capri jeans...but it looks like I may not fit by next week. I made Derek hurry up to take the pictures because I could not wait to get out of these pants! Holy belly.

35 weeks!

Each week that I write these numbers I feel so much better. I can't believe that it is already 35 weeks...as when this all started we said that if I got to 36 weeks it would be perfect! So, now here I am at 35 weeks and I feel great! (Minus some little issues)

Contractions still the same, if not maybe a little more frequent than before. I have started to need the medicine every 12 hours again. Even when I am not having constant contractions I still feel really sore! I feel like I have been doing about 500 sit-ups a day...maybe these contractions are making my abs stronger?!?? Ha, I wish! Other than that I feel pretty good and have just remained here at home in bed or on the couch. The little man has been moving a lot and only sleeps for about 30 minute periods. I feel very in tune with my body and his schedule, and I am sure that is because all I do is sit here and have the time to know and feel whats going on! It is pretty neat to be able to experience this part of my pregnancy, and I know I would not be this "in-tune" with everything if I was busy on the go at work! So really its a blessing to me.

Thursday we had my 35 week appointment and it was nice and quick! My weight was up a pound (Thank God not 2 again!) and my belly measured 37cm. Baby had a nice heart beat and Dr. Jaki said he is still head down and probably around 5 pounds...Which was GREAT to hear! She wants me to continue to take the medication to stop the contractions for another week (until week 36) and then I can slow down or even stop. Dr. Jaki was very pleased with how everything looked and she even said that next week she will start treating my pregnancy as a "Normal Pregnancy" again! (Meaning we are out of the danger zone, and whatever happens, happens!)

As always, I am excited that it is almost the weekend...because Derek is home! There are usually projects that he gets done on the weekend, and even though I can't help, at least I can watch (At least I have SOMETHING to watch!) Last weekend he built some new shelving in the garage to store all our stuff...and so we would be able to park BOTH of our cars inside! It has been over a year since we have lived here and now we are finally able to park in our garage!!!

Now at 35 weeks it is only 2 more weeks until Mom gets here! Not only am I excited for her to be here, but I will feel so much more comfortable getting up and doing things because I will be 37 weeks:) I have a very LONG list of things that need to be done around here...

Baby Development This Week:
Baby is now around 5 pounds and the size of a honeydew melon! Gah! A Melon! That is sure what he feels like, but it still sounds so big! His major development is now complete and he is now just packing on the pounds...about 1/2 a pound a week!

34 Weeks!!!

I feel so good to be writing the number 34!!! It has been a pretty long month and I am so thankful that everything is still perfectly fine.

I am SO excited that in only 3 weeks Mom will be here!!! I am just so excited...and when she gets here I will be 37 weeks...and I am hoping I will feel a little more comfortable moving around more. At this point I am so used to these regular contractions, I am sure another month will just make me more used to them. I just hope I am able to tell when they are really causing me to go into labor! (I am sure I will!)

Contractions still the same...I have been taking the medicine about once every 24 hours. The longer I wait in between the medicine, the more effective it is to control the contractions. So that's how it has been. I wanted to be completely off of it, but I am just miserable with regular contractions after a day, and I start to go crazy...and there is no need for that! I read this today and it made me feel so good... "If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies." (From Babycenter.com) Ahh, reading this makes me so much more relaxed:)

Had an appointment today with Dr. Jaki, and pretty much all is still the same. I am up 2 pounds again this week...yikes, I am really putting on the weight now! Then Dr. Jaki listened to the heartbeat and all sounded perfect. When she measured my belly it was 37cm, bigger than expected at this point:) I am now officially 1cm dilated, which at first freaked me out, but then I realized that its OK, lots of women stay 1cm dilated for weeks and weeks. So I am trying not to let that change upset me too much. Trying. Then at the end I did another contraction stress test, where they measure the baby's heartbeat in response to the contractions. Another PASS! The regular contractions (I had one every 3 minutes) had no effect on little ones heart rate:) So all in all it was a good appointment. I asked Dr. Jaki what she thought about the odds of me staying pregnant for another 3 weeks (That's when Mom comes:) and she said maybe about 50/50...Sheesh not the best! So I will do my best, and stay put on my rear end...

This past week has been pretty uneventful...I have had a few visitors from work and they brought their babies...so cute! I was in heaven holding my friend Laura's 5 week old baby Nicolas:)

Other than that I have just been doing the usual...TV, movies, lunch almost every day with Dayle, books, facebook, organizing the office(a task I can do while sitting). Oh, and of course a lot of phone talking:) All I can say is I am so thankful that Dayle comes over to help out with everything around the house...it is so nice for Derek to be able to come home from work and not have to worry about that stuff. I am not sure if I have mentioned, but I really think one of the hardest aspects of bedrest is thinking of all of the stuff I need/could be doing, and not being able to do it. Cleaning/cooking/laundry/shopping....Its hard not being able to do these things!

Baby Development This Week:
Baby is now around 4 and 3/4 pounds (size of a cantaloupe:) and 18 inches. He is still putting on his baby fat and preparing for the outside world. This picture shows exactly the position of his legs...except for his little legs must be longer because I swear they are all the way up to my lungs!!!



***Prayer request
A friend of mine from work who had a baby a few months ago just found out that her baby is sick...and will need to be in the hospital for possibly a long time...I have been sick over the news, but I know that all I can do is pray...so if you feel led, please pray for her and her little one...They really need the prayers.

July 9th...

Happy Anniversary Erica and Scott! I cannot believe that they have been married for 4 years:) It seems just like yesterday that Erica came home with a ring on her finger:) We are so happy for you guys:)

July 9th, 2005 is also a very special day for Derek and I...It is when we met! We really met for the first time on the 8th at Erica and Scott's rehearsal dinner at Vernon Manor. We had the rehearsal at church before dinner and that is the first time I noticed Derek. I knew everyone in the wedding party except for him. Following the rehearsal we went to the Vernon Manor for the rehearsal dinner on the rooftop. After dinner I was standing by the edge of the rooftop overlooking UC's campus. Derek came over to me and said "So, you must be Erica's sister." I remember this like it was yesterday. I thought to myself well yeah, of course...Then we started talking and I was thinking wow, who is this cute guy! Hmmm...He then asked if I was going out after the dinner and I told him probably not because Erica was not feeling well and I wanted to be with her the night before her wedding. So the night ended and we went home...Erica ended up feeling better and that's all I cared about:)

The next day, the day of the wedding, I was pretty busy being the Maid of Honor...It was so much fun and so exciting as this was such a big day:) The day went as planned and the ceremony was perfect. I do remember at one point glancing over to see Derek's face...and thinking, wow, he is really cute!

After the ceremony we went to the reception which was perfect as well. I was really really nervous about giving my maid of honor speech. I remember being so scared, but it went well and I did end up crying...I knew I would. After the speech I was so relieved that it was over and I just wanted to have fun...and then I immediately thought, where is that cute groomsman Derek....hmmm. Just as I started to see if I saw him, he popped up in front of me and told me how good my speech was. I believe that I said some things too, but I cannot say what here on the blog...lets just say that I had already had a few glasses of champagne because I was so nervous about the speech. We spent the night dancing, talking, dancing, and I was so happy! The rest is history:)

I still remember all of these events like they were yesterday...Such a special day:) I love you D!

Uh oh...

Today, for the first time, I had a taste of burnt almond cake. There is a local bakery near by (Dick's Bakery) and it is supposed to have "the best" burnt almond cake. Dayle told me that they are good and I mentioned I had never had it....BIG mistake! She brought an entire cake home today, and it was the best cake I have ever had:) Really, the outside of burnt almonds tastes like smores and the inside is 2 layers of cream and cake...That does not sound near as good as it tastes!!!

I already crave another slice...this could become a bad habit!

Thanks for the introduction Dayle:)

What would I do

Without him.

I sit here on Sunday evening, in my rocking chair (that he put together), looking out the front window...watching Derek wash my car.

He has spent the entire weekend taking care of me, making my every meal, and doing whatever small (or big) task that I ask. No complaints. Ever.

Even though taking care of me is enough work, he has also been able to *watch a friends dog on the 4Th of July so said friend could enjoy time away with family, *help a friend set up his cable/Internet in his new home, *and do all our yard work/gardening/car washing/tree trimming. Did I mention how wonderful he is?

This is what I love so much about him. He is so sweet, to me, and to others. He is always willing to help, and never complains. He gives and gives...Something I know our son will learn from him.

I just want to sit here and write this down because I never want to forget how lucky I am. Life is really perfect for us. This is my dream. He is my dream and this is what I always wanted.

What would I do without him.

33 Weeks + Good News

Today is 33 weeks! Only 7 weeks to go (We hope and pray:)

Baby Moore has been moving all the time and he is starting to make me a little uncomfortable! Up until now I have been pretty comfortable (Minus the contractions). Now that he is growing a lot bigger each week, I really feel it! My ribs seem to be in the way and my bladder is no longer mine! I think he has decided that they are in his way so he just moves them out of the way--ouch! Derek thinks its pretty funny when I lay on the couch and stretch my arms out above my head in an attempt to make my torso longer so he stops jabbing me in the ribs:)

As for the contractions, I am just living with them and trying to ignore them. When they happen randomly, it is no big deal. I don't even really notice those ones as much as the constant ones. I would say that they are still happening every 3-5 minutes for an hour or so about 3-4 times a day. It really helps when I lay in bed during these times because it makes it more comfortable for me. I have not had any of the medicine in 2 days now as it was no longer working. I did not notice a difference in the frequency or duration of the contractions after the medication, so I weaned myself off of it. If it is not helping then there is no need to take it. I just hope I can stay off of it (and any/all medications) while I am pregnant...

Yesterday we had the 33 week doctor appointment and everything went really well! I told Dr. Jaki my concerns about the contractions and how I am concerned that they are causing harm to the baby. She reassured me that they should not be causing any harm, but she knows me (and the nurse in me) and I wanted some proof! So she did an ultrasound to look at the fluid around the baby, and she wanted to make sure there was enough. She measured the fluid and everything looked absolutely normal:) After that she checked my cervix and it remains unchanged, not dilated! Belly measured 34cm, a little ahead of schedule, so that's good too! Oh, did I mention that I gained 2 pounds in the past week?!?! So I think it is safe to say I don't "need" any more milkshakes...but I still want them:) The next thing we did was a "Contraction Stress Test" where she put me on the monitor to measure the contractions and the baby's heartbeat. She had me lay there to monitor me for 30 minutes and I had about 10 contractions! Each time I had a contraction the baby's heartbeat remained stable in the 150's. This test was very reassuring that the baby is not being affected by the frequent contractions. Dr. Jaki said that she feels very confident that everything is progressing normally in spite of the regular contractions. This appointment made me feel SO MUCH BETTER! I was able to really rest last night knowing that everything is OK. To top off a great day, on the way home Derek picked up Chipoltle for dinner because I was craving a burrito:)

Last but not least, I am so excited that my Mom is going to come here in 4 weeks!!! She originally was going to come on my due date, but no one seems to think I will make it that long, so she is coming a little early:) I am SO SO SO SO excited to have her here, I just can't wait for the next 4 weeks to go by! I love you Mom and can't wait to see you!!!

Baby Development This Week:
Baby Moore is now a little over 4 pounds and around 17-18 inches...the size of a pineapple:) He continues to gain weight (Mostly baby fat) and continues to move around all the time.