Week 39

Picture overload! Some of my family wanted to get some 360 degree shots, so here you go - side, front, behind, and a special shot of our dog Baxter giving Junebug a kiss!

So here's the latest news...last Friday was my last day of work (or should I say at my paid job - contrary to Kevan's opinion because he says I'll still be getting a paycheck but it will just be in poopy diapers - Hmmm...). Another exciting "last" - this past Saturday I took my final Heparin shot (these were the blood thinner shots that I've had to shoot myself up with twice a day since we got pregnant and were the culprits of the nice black and blue spots all over my belly - which are fading nicely I must say).

I had an ob appointment today and I'm still dilated to 1cm, so no change there! We have an ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday morning (the day after our due date) to check the size of the baby and the amniotic fluid levels. If all looks well my doc will let me go another week or so. God has blessed this entire pregnancy and I'm hoping He'll continue to bless it so that I will not have to be induced. This is obviously making things a little difficult for my mom to plan her trip out here for the birth but we keep praying that God will coordinate all of this as well!

Week 38

Hi everyone! Well, we're 12 days away from our official due date! I had an appointment today and I'm still dilated to 1cm - but we're just waiting patiently. I'm still feeling great and sleeping great, so I'm in no rush! My doc knows how important it is to me to let me body do what God made it to do and not have any kind of intervention, so she told me that if I don't go by my due date she'll do an ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid level and if baby is still safe and sound she'll let me go a week or so past my due date. I'm so thankful that this prayer of ours is being honored!

Kevan is convinced that we'll make it through the weekend, so we'll see about that! We've been getting a lot of couch time in and catching up on a bunch of movies that we've had DVR'd for a while now - it's been really relaxing!

One fun/new development is that I've felt Junebug hiccuping A LOT! It's like I've got a little earthquake in my belly!

I've got another appointment next Tuesday morning with the 3rd partner in the practice (I haven't met her yet but Kev knows her from his pharmaceutical rep days and says she's really nice). I appreciate that they have you meet all the docs so that you'll know whoever ends up delivering you! If we make it until then be on the lookout for another post from me. Otherwise, the next post will be from Daddy and Junebug!

Today's doctor's visit

Hi everyone! Well, today's appointment went great...I'm 100% effaced (my cervix is completely thinned out) and although I'm still only 1cm dilated (9 to go until Junebug arrives), my doc said Junebug is "locked and loaded!" She said she could feel Junebug's skull because he/she is fully engaged in my pelvis. She said I'm primed for a natural birth and things look the way every ob would like to see their patients at this point in pregnancy - thank you God!

I also had another non-stress test today and things looked great! The nurse couldn't get over all the contractions I was having. She asked if I could feel them and I said yes but that they didn't seem too intense. She said I really need to start monitoring them and make sure I get myself to the hospital once they're lasting 1 minute long and are 5 minutes apart. She said I could go either tomorrow or a few weeks from now, it just depends what my body decides to do. This is a very hard thing for a type-A personality like myself to handle. But, Kevan and I know that God knows the day, hour, minute and second that Junebug will arrive into the world and His timing is always perfect, so we need to just focus on that!

Well, we're off to the mall to find some cute quilt hangers for the boy or girl bedding comforter that we're going to use as a wall hanging! Cheers!

Week 37

Happy week 37 everyone! I don't think I reported the details of my OB visit from last Tuesday. I was dilated 1cm and 80% effaced. Baby was weighing 5 lbs. 3 oz; my doctor thinks we'll be having a 6 pounder; which sounds good to me! We've got another appointment tomorrow and we're excited to see what kind of progress we've made. The nursery is finally ready for Junebug with all of the clothes washed and put into the appropriate dresser drawers. I love the organization!! Grandma Pratt bought her plane ticket today and is scheduled to be here from the 20th through the 28th! The great thing is that if Junebug makes an early or late arrival, she can change her ticket at a moments notice with no extra charge! Yeah!

Also, this past weekend Kevan did a 5k run with a buddy and I walked the same distance with his friend's wife. I thought Junebug was going to fall right out after walking so far, but I felt great afterward!

We watched the Happiest Baby on the Block DVD tonight (thanks Grandma Krestel). The techniques seem easy enough (the 5 S's...Swaddling, Side or Stomach Lying, Shushing, Swinging, and Sucking), so we are hoping that Junebug is the happiest baby on Eulalie Avenue! Time will tell!

Keep your eyes peeled for another post this week with the details from our OB appointment tomorrow.

Week 36

Big news!!! Junebug has lightened (aka dropped into the pelvis in preparation for birth; however, no need get ready to pop the champagne quite yet - apparently this can happen 2-6 weeks before the actual birth). You may be able to tell by comparing the picture from last week to this week...my belly is a bit more tilted forward.

Kevan and I had a fabulous "babymoon" this past weekend- it was very fun and relaxing! We had a beautiful day on Saturday at the winery (Chandler Hill in Augusta...hey you locals, be sure to put this on your list of things to do this summer!) on our way out to the Bed & Breakfast. We stayed at The Inn at Cinagro Farms (anyone from St. Louis...we would HIGHLY recommend this - see picture attached) and had a leisurely 2.5 hour dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Washington (again, anyone from St. Louis...check out The American Bounty).

Things are coming together for Junebug's arrival and I have finally completed my psycho house cleaning frenzy. We have our last ultrasound tomorrow at 1pm and I'm starting my weekly visits with my OB as well as another non-stress test - a long day at the hospital. We're excited to see how things are progressing (and my mom is anxious to buy her plane ticket in hopes of timing things to be here for the actual birth). We're getting the car seat installed tomorrow morning so that things are ready to roll when the time comes since I have a sneaky suspicion that we're going to deliver early (ok, call it a consuming fear). This suspicion also has me packing my hospital bag sometime this week too! Can't believe that June 22nd is less than a month away...stay tuned!

Week 35

What??? 34 days to go??? This has gone WAY TOO fast! We're hoping to get the nursery in order this week and then we're heading out for our "babymoon" this weekend. That's the term for a couple's last getaway before the baby comes. We're heading to a bed and breakfast in a little town about an hour away with a bunch of wineries and antique shops - should be fun! No worries...nothing but sparkling grape juice for us! We're supposed to have a gorgeous weekend - sunny and in the 80's!

I'm in full "nesting" mode - I was vacuuming our silk flower arrangement and dusting lightbulbs this past week...things are getting quite crazy at the Krestel household these days. But, Kevan has been a great sport about everything!

I have another non-stress test tomorrow so I'm looking forward to hearing Junebug's heartbeat for an hour or so! We have our last ultrasound coming up next Tuesday so be on the lookout for an update next week - we're anxious to see how much Junebug is weighing and how long he/she is measuring. Until then...Happy Memorial Day...which happens to be on Kevan's birthday this year (it's the big 35!!!) - Happy Birthday my love!

Week 34

Ok, if you're like Kevan you are freaking out about how big my belly is - he said he can't believe how much it's sticking out! I, on the other hand, think it's pure beauty! Junebug is still kicking like crazy - this is one active little gymnast, let me tell you! I have an appointment with my OB tomorrow and another non-stress test; I'm looking so forward to getting back in that lazy boy and listening to Junebug's heartbeat for an hour or so! We have finally narrowed down our names - we've got 2 boys and 2 girls but we're keeping them secret, so stay tuned! However, I could probably be bribed with a McDonalds #1 Big Mac meal and a large milk shake!

Week 33

Torpedo belly extraordinaire! Yes, I continue to grow by leaps and bounds but I still feel wonderful! I'm still sleeping well (thanks again Carrie for lending me your body pillow). We're hoping to get the nursery in decent order this weekend and cleaning the rest of the house...can you say nesting!?!?!

Kevan's co-workers threw us a fabulous baby shower last Friday and we were overwhelmed by their joy and generosity! I've got another non-stress test tomorrow so I'm looking forward to getting comfy in that lazy boy and listening to Junebug's heartbeat! Other than that, not much news on our end - just playing the waiting game! Happy Mommy's day to all of you moms and moms-to-be!

Week 32 Ultrasound

Here's Junebug's Week 32 ultrasound! Just to explain what you're looking at, it's Junebug's face - the right side of the picture is the top of Junebug's head (it looks like a tuft of dark hair but apparently it's not). You can see Junebug's left hand curled up and kind of hanging over his/her left eye (which looks like a black eye). You can see pretty clearly Junebug's nose then mouth (I call him/her my little clown because it looks like Junebug has a big red clown mouth painted on) and then you can see Junebug's chin towards the left side of the picture. We can't wait to see him or her in person!

Week 32

Wowsa - look at that belly! I'm happy to announce that it is housing our 3 pound 14.3 ounce Junebug! We had an ultrasound today and got the weight from the measurement of the baby's femur (isn't that amazing!?!?!). We're still on target for a June 22nd due date! I had a very cool experience today...before the ultrasound I had an appointment with my OB/GYN but instead of getting to hear Junebug's heartbeat for a mere 45 seconds as usual they did a non stress test (NST) and I got to lay in a comfy leather recliner and listen to Junebug's heartbeat for 45 minutes!!!!!!!!!!! I had a smile plastered to my face the entire time and just sat there listening to that miraculous sound and praying over Junebug - what a special time! They're going to be doing these NSTs every week from here out but they normally only last 15 minutes; since Junebug wasn't very active this morning they ran the test for 45 minutes but determined the test to be nonactive.

Just in case you're curious what the NST looks for...
The primary goal of the test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord.

Given that Junebug was sleeping during the test they had the ultrasound tech run a BPP (biophysical property procedure) which measures the baby's breathing function, fist clenching, etc. and they said that everything measured right on target! Praise God!

We're having an issue scanning with our new computer but my in-laws are going to scan the pics for us (thanks Bill and Cathy) and we'll be able to post them later this week! Until then...

Week 31

WOW! Two months from today is our due date!!! I can hardly believe it! This past weekend was my big baby shower - my mom flew in from Philly and helped celebrate. I'm so glad she finally had a chance to see me preggers in person, love on my belly and feel Junebug move around! For those of you who don't know, my mom (Margo) is the one to the left of me in the flowered outfit and my mother-in-law (Cathy) is the one to the right of me in the green. The shower was fabulous and Junebug and I were showered with lots of love and generosity! Thanks to my hostesses and dear friends Carrie and Cari!!!

On Monday night Kevan and I had our last Prepared Childbirth class and then on Tuesday night we had our one and only Natural Approach to Childbirth class. I'm praying that God will honor my desire to experience this birth naturally - with no medications - but I know that He already knows how all of this will turn out and I can find comfort in that!

Big plans for the weekend include a "making room for baby sale" ( aka - yard sale) so hopefully we'll collect some diaper money!

Week 30

Ok, the third and final post of the day (check out ultrasound pics and nursery pics in the two previous blogs). Here's my torpedo belly as we wrap up week 30! I cannot believe that tomorrow we enter into week 31 which means the countdown is into single digits...9 weeks to go! YIPPEE! I still feel fabulous but am getting so anxious to meet Junebug and kiss these feet that have been pounding me. Exciting news for this week - Grandma Pratt is coming in town Friday night for my baby shower on Saturday...I'm so excited for her to finally see me pregnant in person so she can love on my belly! Of course I'm also excited for my baby shower! We had another birthing class tonight and learned about C Sections (I'm praying I don't have to have one) and we learned our last breathing technique for the most intense part of labor. We got to see some more birthing videos and the scariest part was the scene of a woman screaming "somebody help me!" I'm praying that my birthing experience is nothing like that!!!

Nursery Furniture

YAY - Junebug's furniture was delivered today!!! I had forgotten how much I like it and I must say it's bigger than I remember (or else the room is smaller than I realized). Over the next few days we'll need to move all the goodies from my first shower into the room and start getting it ready for Junebug's arrival! By the way, in the first picture you can see Baxter (aka Boo Bear) already guarding Junebug's crib! Also, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Krestel for the glider they passed on to us from their neighbor who was going to get rid of it - I'll enjoy nursing Junebug in that big comfy chair!

Week 27 Ultrasound Pictures

Hi everyone!

My mom reminded me that I never posted our week 27 ultrasound pictures, so here they are! The first picture is a front view of Junebug - you can see his/her forehead, eyes, nose and ribs pretty well! The second picture is a great side profile of Junebug with a great shot of his/her eyes, nose, mouth and his/her right hand waiving hello (above the nose). The third picture is what we call Big Foot (he/she clearly has daddy's feet)! The last picture is Junebug's right elbow, arm and hand waiving hello. At the time of this ultrasound Junebug was 2lbs. 3 oz and 15 inches long!

Week 29

All dressed up and somewhere to go! Our friend Mariam got married this weekend and I found this fabulous "special occasion" maternity dress to wear to her wedding. I'm so thankful they have cute maternity clothes rather than just moo-moos! As you can see in the 2nd picture Junebug is growing like wildfire. I've had quite a few people tell me that they think I grow more and more overnight. I absolutely love my pregnant belly and am constantly rubbing on it and playing with my super outtie belly button. I'm now visiting my OB every two weeks so I get to hear Junebug's heartbeat again this Friday (now that is something that NEVER gets old!). We had our second Prepared Childbirth class last night and we learned our second breathing technique... "AH-HEE" is how it goes! We also learned all about medication options but we're praying that we won't be using any drugs whatsoever (but of course we're trying to keep our options open as is the mantra of the class). However, I'll fight it tooth and nail and I know Kevan will be a GREAT coach!