38 weeks

So these photos will remind me not to hairspray my hair so flat in the future! Yikes!   

38 weeks! So excited to be at this point! Bailey is SUPER active and strong. We got great news at my last Dr. appt. According to her my cervix is now in mid position, 1 cm dilated, and 60% effaced. With Bailey's head being "low". YAY! I have been so scared that I would have to be induced with pitocin (my absolute least favorite drug ever) but with these changes it makes me have hope that over the next 2 weeks my body (and Bailey's) will continue to do what it is supposed to. 

Since we hit the 38 week mark i'm now "off" until mid february and I'd love to get as much time with her as possible so... Bring on the walking! (and other stuff) I aired up my exercise ball to sit on (not sure if it does anything but it makes me feel like she's lower when i sit on it...), i'm eating dates, and I even went and bought "Red raspberry leaf tea" which while there are no studies to say it induces labor supposedly it makes the uterus stronger leading to more effective contractions. Now if you know me, you know how much I HATE tea. So a few minutes ago I went ahead and made a cup of it with the idea that i would chug it. I added some sweetener and then.. no go. I poured it over a big cup of ice and added ginger-ale to try again... still can't get it down. It makes me want to vomit... soo... no red raspberry leaf tea for me. Sorry uterus, you're going to have to do it without that particular herb unless i can find a way to make it into ice cream that doens't taste like tea or something...

Last week was Christmas and Micah and I had a wonderful relaxing time together. We had steak with really sweet yummy sweet pototoes with an oatmeal/brownsugar crust on top. We got SNOW for Christmas and truly had a "white" Christmas. The day after Christmas we went shopping and tried not to freeze (i think the temp was 14 degrees that morning). 

I ate, and ate, and ate. At my doctor's appt I weighed in a whopping 6 lbs heavier than the week before! (oops!) At this point in the pregnancy though I just don't care :) It'll come off soon. 

Here's a picture of our current "little girl" cuddled up on Micah's lap. (yes those are in fact Iron Man pants!) She becomes really cuddly when it is cold.

Summary:
Weeks - 38
Fruit/Veggie - Pumpkin
Weight gain - 38 lbs
Milestones - 14 more days until her due date! Dr. appt every week... trying to jump start labor :) 

37 weeks & Christmas!

So here we are, 37 weeks pregnant! Officially done with all of my Med school rotations until mid February! Also 100% done interviewing for residency too. From now until approx. Jan 13th I get to just hang out around the house and "nest" Unfortunately that desire to clean and stuff still hasn't hit... 

It's hard to be away from all of our family members this Christmas, but Micah and I are going to try our best to just enjoy this last bit of time where it is "just us." So far since Friday we've watched 3 movies (probably more than the last 3 months!) played dominos, and went to our Pastor's last Sunday at Hope slash children's christmas service. We are going to do tamales for Christmas eve (my family tradition) and then since there was no point doing a whole turkey for 2 people, we are going to have Steak on Christmas. Oh and some sparkling cider courtesy of our sister-in-law. 

Probably the most exciting thing that happened in the past week was our "growth" ultrasound. Turns out Bailey is actually on the small side! (but from looking at her squishy cheeks i'm going to guess she's just short). Here is the first "picture" of our little girl! 

They are estimating her at 6 lbs 1 oz as of Dec. 21st. She has her mouth open and it looks like she's trying to  suck on her hand. I can't wait to meet this baby girl! She's still head down and the fluid levels all look good. Now we just have to wait for her to finish cooking! 

I'm at a point where I would classify myself as "VERY pregnant!" I waddle (*sigh*) and i find myself having a harder time moving around than I have ever had before. I've actually ended up sleeping half of the night in the lazy-boy recliner for the past 2 nights because I get better sleep being propped up. Sleeping on my side is just getting uncomfortable and I end up keeping both myself AND Micah awake. 

Thanks to everyone who has been so generous with gifts for this little girl. Her room is basically done and she has just about everything I think we will need for her. We went ahead and installed the car seat base this week... I think that made it real for Micah that she's almost here. Now if I could just get up the energy to pack that hospital bag...

Summary:
Weeks: 37
Fruit/Veggie: Wintermelon (Winter melon?)
Weight gain: 33 lbs
Milestones: Well, technically this is Micah and my first Christmas married and our last Christmas as just the two of us :) So I guess that makes this Christmas important.

36 Weeks

Oh my gosh! I just realized I'll only be posting 3 or 4 more of these! (ok, maybe 5 if she's a week late, but for my sake let's hope its no more than 4)

So here we are, 36 weeks and 3 days (I've been on my internal medicine rotation, I haven't had a day off in 2 weeks so I had trouble getting around to the picture this week. This also explains my clothing choice... by the end of the day i just want to be comfortable so sweatpants and Micah's t-shirt it is) I've gotten to the point where i'm just so tired and I don't feel like working anymore. Luckily TOMORROW is my last day working in the hospital until FEBRUARY! 

We had a pretty bad dust storm today (which is what the red "cloud" Micah drew behind the 36 weeks represents. he's so funny). It caused a huge pile-up on I-27. winds were 35mph sustained with gusts to the 70s. Of course I make it out to my car to leave work and I have a nearly flat tire. *sigh* ok God, I'll make a short detour to get this fixed before I head home. I'm thankful I have transportation and a safe warm house waiting for me.

The picture isn't very flattering... but I have to show off my real belly. Look closely... NO STRETCH MARKS! Woooo hooooo (sorry Amanda, it's genetic and I apparently got the genes from the grandmother I resemble the most in the face) ok so technically i have a tiny stretch mark where my bellybutton ring was, but that's my own fault for piercing my bellybutton.

I'm hoping she decides to "drop" into my pelvis soon. My OB checked me last week (since she had to do the group B strept swab anyway) and my cervix was soft but high and closed. Which is good for now, but i'm pretty sure bailey is completely above my pelvis and i'm not sure if she has any intention of dropping lower. We'll see in the coming weeks. My OB actually goes out of town this friday and doesn't return until i'm 39 weeks and 1 day... so it'll be interesting to see if Bailey waits for her. As anxious as I am to meet her, and have her be small enough to actually fit through my pelvis (and be able to sleep on my stomach again!) I don't really want her birthday to be this close to Christmas, so i'm hoping she does wait til Jan. 8th at least. 

My dog still thinks the red "balls" that dangle on the tree are the best toy ever! If you notice the red tree skirt has been undone... AGAIN by Fiona and the outermost lower branches of the tree are missing any ornaments. I have to keep picking them up and moving them higher. Luckily they aren't glass. 

Micah and I have a travel suitcase to use as our hospital bag and as of tonight i actually put SOMETHING in it :) Yes it may just be clothes for Bailey to come home in, but hey... it's a start ;) We had a low pressure system and I was noticing that my Braxton-hicks contractions are getting more frequent and stronger. Definitely not the real thing or anything, but perhaps a sign that my body may know what to do afterall? 

We have another Dr. appt this thursday (now at the once a week stage!) and we have a growth ultrasound this coming friday. I'm so excited to get to see her again (last u/s was at 18 weeks so it should be quite a difference now). My Dr doesn't think she's measuring big anymore, but is concerned about my fluid levels since i've been on my feet and on the go so much. 

Micah's family came to visit last weekend and celebrate his graduation. YAY MICAH! He now has TWO masters degrees on top of his bachelors. Bailey has such a hardworking and smart dad. 

Oh, one more thing. we went to our natural childbirth class last week and i'm SO glad we did! We now have a Doula (my hospital provides one for free!) and I feel so much more confident about my ability to give birth without an epidural. I'm practicing my self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques nearly everyday now. Hopefully all this hippie stuff will work. I honestly think taking the fear out of childbirth will make it much more bearable. We'll see if I know what i'm talking about in another 4 weeks or so. 

Summary:
Weeks: 36
Fruit/veggie: Honeydew Melon
Weight gain: who cares... (ha ha, just kidding. 32 lbs)
Milestones: Finishing up all of my rotations before Bailey is born and a growth ultrasound on Friday! 

35 Weeks

I can't believe we are already at 35 weeks! Only 35 days left until our Due Date! It's crazy how fast things have gone the past few weeks. My belly is getting bigger by the day. Luckily Micah got back into town last night so I took today off of work and we are just spending the day together. He did the awesome job on the board this week. 

My new favorite pregnancy memory is that when i lay on one side for a few hours and then stand up my belly is lopsided because she has shifted to the dependent side and it takes her a while to shift back to midline.

We have our "natural labor" class tomorrow night and then a Dr.'s appt. on Thursday where if she is still measuring big I'll get the ultrasound scheduled. My weight has definitely stabilized to the 1/2 to 1 lb per week i'm supposed to be gaining. 

I am so tired of working so much but I only have 2 more weeks left of "work" until i'm off for a month and a half! I can't remember the last time I had that much time off of school. Of course i'll have my hands full with having a baby and everything, but it'll be nice to have a break from the hospital. 

At this point when anyone sees me all they ask is "how are you feeling" which is fine except my answers are kind of limited. My options are to say "I feel great" which is true half of the time, or i spend 20 minutes telling them how my joints all hurt, i have a neuropathy that developed over one knee/thigh, I can't sleep past 5:00 am, I want to eat everything in sight, I wake up at least twice per night to pee, My lower back is killing me, I'm stuck "rounding" on patients for hours on end and my lower belly starts to hurt, none of my clothes fit right, people continually ask when i'm due expecting me to say any minute now, and i'm mentally terrified of what will happen come July when I start my residency and I have to leave this beautiful little girl with other people for the vast majority of her waking hours.... So instead I just say "I feel pretty good"  or "a little tired" 

We still haven't packed a hospital bag (or even thought about what to put into it), we haven't bought our diaper bag, we haven't bought any diapers, we haven't finished putting her room together, we don't have a christmas tree put up or lights, I haven't bought the stuff i need to use the breast pump, I don't have any milk storage containers/bags, i haven't washed the clothes we've been given, etc. I Let's hope she continues to cook at least until a week after christmas so i have time to get all this stuff done :) 

Summary:
Weeks - 35
Fruit/Veggie - Coconut
Weight gain - 30 lbs

Milestones - Labor class this week, possibly scheduling another ultrasound. Also when people ask me how much longer i have I can answer them with one month! 

34 Weeks

Micah is out of town this week, so I had to take pictures myself. I decided to do something different and show off my belly that I'm so excited to have. I'm very lucky and as of right now I haven't found a real stretch mark (with the exception of where my belly button ring used to be). My belly button is no longer really "in" but not "out" either. 

I did develop an interesting symptoms this past week though. I thought I had gotten bed bugs from my last interview in Austin. Then I realized it actually fit the description of a very mild form of PUPP (itchy bumps of pregnancy basically) . I have about 14 or so total, and they itch like crazy! On a happy note I found a glider for sale on craigslist for only 60 dollars!!! It's soooo nice and comfy and beautiful. 

Bailey is getting so big and strong and ACTIVE! She used to kick for a few minutes and then fall back asleep. Now it'll be a good 20+ minutes of active moving. Leading me to start being a little bit concerned about how this "kid" will get out. I still have 6 weeks until my due date but i'm starting to think she isn't going to fit... I have a class on Natural Childbirth on Monday at the hospital i'm delivering at and I've been using a self-hypnosis type of relaxation but I have to admit I'm a bit nervous... 

One of my classmates delivered her twins this week at 35 weeks and 1 day. It's crazy to see pictures of her girls and realize that Bailey is probably the same size as them! I have a real live baby inside of me! it's crazy.

Well, not much else is happening this week, just going to the hospital every day (EVERY DAY) for internal medicine and trying to salvage my house from the mess it became after the whirlwind that was November interview season.

33 weeks and growing

I decided I'd put on my 12 week outfit just for fun to compare. It's crazy how much I've changed in just 5 months or so. Bailey is now at least 4 lbs, no wonder my belly is getting so big! She's plumping up. 

This is really the first time i'm noticing it's increasingly hard for me to do things, like bend over in the car to pick something up off the floor, or to roll over in bed. Who knew rolling over in bed would be so hard! 

We got back from my whirlwhind interview road-tripping and thanksgiving yesterday. After driving 8 hrs back to lubbock Micah and I went for an early dinner at Rockfish (yum!) and then crashed in bed at about 7:30pm. I got up at 9 to send an email and turn lights off and then we went right back to sleep and I slept until 5:00 am. That's nearly 10 hours of sleep! That's a record for me :) I was sooooo tired. 

Only 7 weeks until our Due date and only 4 weeks until she's "full term!" CRAZY! 

You know i've been busy when it's 4 days after thanksgiving and my christmas tree STILL isn't up. *sigh* maybe this weekend. 

Bailey got a ton of cute stuff from her Aunt Amanda, Mee-maw, Gram, and great-gram this past weekend when we were in the Hill country for thanksgiving. We also got a swing from a friend/micah's parents and put it up in the living room so the dogs could get used to it. When i looked at it there in the living room all of a sudden it hit me... we are really having a baby! Soon! I can't believe my daughter could be in that swing in less than 2 months! 

Summary:
Weeks: 33
Fruit/Veggie: Durian fruit
Weight gain: 29 lbs
Milestones: I started my last rotation today before Bailey is born (only 4 weeks of working left!) and I fly for my last interview (other than my one here at tech) this thursday.

32 weeks

Well, here we are 32 weeks pregnant and in a Hotel room in Knoxville, TN. (i was so exhausted and busy we completely missed the 31 week pregnant picture. whoops!)  

The room was really nice and was paid for by the school I was interviewing at, so that made it even extra special. Fortunately Micah was able to go with me for this trip, which made the weekend that much more special.

My goal for this week was to not gain as much as I did the prior 2 weeks. At my appointment for 31 weeks I had gained 4 lbs in 2 weeks (double what i was supposed to). It's really hard when you are on the road more days than you are home and being given catered dinners and lunches for interviews and socials. 

Bailey found airplanes to be exiting, or terrifying... Or something because she was SUPER active during my flights. I would be sitting still trying to read my kindle and the next thing I know she's jumping all over the place making my kindle move (since i'm resting it on my belly at this point).

Luckily I haven't really had heartburn, but lately my belly is getting to the point that the pressure is just too much and I'll occasionally get to taste my food again. (gross, i know!) 

I started doing prenatal pilates to see if that helps increase my metabolism to help with my traveling food choices and just general feeling of needing to eat every 2 minutes :) 

Summary:
Weeks - 32
Fruit/veggie - Squash of some sort
Weight gain - 28 lbs
milestones - survived 7 interviews so far! 

30 Weeks

Well, I think Bailey had a HUGE growth-spurt over the past 2 weeks. I know I did :) I look very pregnant... hard to believe we still have 10 weeks left! 

Today is our Baby Shower (hence Micah's "shower" design for the board today). We are so fortunate to have such loving friends at church who offered to throw us a shower. Sadly I don't have that many women friends and I tend to be kind of shy at church so i'm a bit worried that no one will show up, but there are 5 women co-hosting it, so at least I know they will be there. It's hard when your family and friends are spread so far apart. 

I found the dress yesterday at Target on sale for $13. SCORE! I LOVE the dress and it is labeled as "nursing friendly" so it will probably be a staple of mine post-pregnancy as well. 

I leave on Wed. for 2 more interviews this week. Both in Dallas so at least I only have to make one trip. 

Well I will post more after our shower, i might even remember to take some pictures :) 

Summary:
Weeks - 30

Fruit/Veggie - Cucumber (i'm guessing this is due to length? cucumber seems kinda small since they estimate her to be 2-3 lbs and 12-15 inches long by now)
Weight gain - 25 lbs
Cravings - CHOCOLATE!

29 Weeks

I can't believe we are already at 29 weeks! Only 8 weeks til we are "full term" and 11 weeks until our due date! We decided to change up the picture to include our first big baby gift - a crib that we picked out as a gift from Micah's Grandmother & Grandfather. We still need to buy a mattress, but it feels awesome to have the crib put together. It's a chocolate colored wood and has soft curvy lines that we liked. 

This week was full of "excitement" as we got the crib, Micah put it together. I flew to Tulsa, interviewed for residency, flew back and then the next day drove 6 hrs to Dallas, interviewed at UT southwestern, and then drove 6 hrs back.Needless to say I am a little tired today. The interviews went well though and the faculty were overwhelmingly supportive. No one openly judged me for being pregnant and applying for surgery. Oh, and a cold front finally came through! WOOOOOO for winter weather!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited! 

I put Micah in charge of the white board this week, and he did such a great job I think i might keep him doing it! It was hard to see in the big pictures, but this shows that i'm 29 weeks for Halloween 2012. Have I mentioned how much I love this man? 

Summary:
Week - 29
Fruit/veggie - Acorn Squash
Weight gain - 23 lbs
Cravings - Icee's  (no nutritional value, but they taste soooooo good!) 

Milestones - I have another appointment this week, and next Sunday the wonderful ladies at my church are throwing me a baby shower. Bailey is still kicking up a storm, making my belly move. She's being good and is still "head down" It seems unreal that in 2-3 months we will meet this brand new little girl! 

28 weeks

This week should be titled "28 weeks - Why yes I would like to take a nap now" 

I seriously napped for like an HOUR each at least 3 afternoons this past week. I'm still getting up really early (4:30) but I've never been so tired at 2:00 before! On top of that I can no longer wear my real wedding ring as it leaves a red mark and makes my finger sore from being too tight and a weird shape. Oh, and swelling feet and face, check. Looks like i hit the 3rd trimester full force :/ 

On a good note, I passed my 1 hr glucose test!!!! (by ONE point!!!) YAY! No gestational diabetes! I still need to watch what I eat and try to be as healthy as I can since i definitely have some increased resistance to insulin (a natural mechanism of pregnancy to ensure the baby gets enough food). For everyone that knows me though, you know how distraught I would have been if I would have had to cut out all sweets/sugar

I was reminded of how great my church is this weekend, of how much I don't want to leave it, and of how I cannot leave Micah in charge of buying anything for the baby ;) We had a fundraiser where i baked some things and helped man the bake sale and it was a blast. We were raising money for our school (daycare/preschool where bailey will be going in the spring at least) and they had a silent auction. I bid 15 dollars on a "baby basket" but left early. Micah stayed so i told him to watch it and he could bid up to 25, but don't worry about bidding more than that. Well, today at church i find out not only did he go above 25 on the basket i bid on, but he ALSO bid on another baby basket! Guess who ended up writing a check for 62 dollars for baby baskets this morning :) I'm not mad at him, it honestly makes me smile. He is sooooo excited for Bailey to come and keeps asking me when the crib is going to get here. He's hand carving a bookshelf for her, and is just excited in general. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful partner for this. 

Summary: Weeks 28
Fruit/Veg: Eggplant
Milestones: Don't have gestational diabetes! Officially in 3rd trimester
Weight gain: 22 lbs (20 according to my doctor's scale!)

And lastly, how can I NOT share this story about my problem child! As you can see Fiona earned herself a picture today. Right as we were leaving for church fiona came inside, i took one look at her face and immediately called Micah to help. Fiona had gotten into a BUNCH of these particularly horrible seeds/casings that grow here in lubbock. They are stickier than anything i've ever come across and once they touch her fur it immediately becomes a ratted mess. There is no brushing this stuff out, so into the bathroom we went and out came the scissors. I was able to salvage most of the fur, but she has no hair on her chin anymore! 

27 Weeks - 3rd Trimester!

So here we are... Third Trimester!!! Bailey is certainly growing and I'm happy to report that she has flipped back to head-down as i'm getting lots of kicks above my belly button again. I'm definitely sporting a 3rd trimester belly. The hormones are... well.. what you'd expect. Micah appreciates your condolences (ha ha, j/k!) I think Bailey likes going to church, for about 30 minutes as I sat quietly this morning during bible study she was going bezerk. Even with tights and a dress on Micah could even see her moving my belly. 

This week she is the size of a Rutabaga (i have no clue how big it is) After looking up the average length/weight it turns out she should be a little longer than 12 inches and weigh between 1.5 to 2.5 lbs! 

Summary:
Weeks - 27
Weight gain - 22 lbs
Milestones - We go for the Gestational Diabetes Glucose challenge this thursday. Cross your fingers that I pass! 

As a side note I bought shirts & a belt for my interview suit. (the pants are still at the tailor, so I took pictures with a different pair of dress pants. Just imagine that they match the jacket) All I can say is Holy Cow! No possible way to hide the fact i'm pregnant lol. Now i have a week and a half to practice holding my head high and realizing that I will be judged for it but being pregnant does not define who I am. I earned these interviews and I will be a good surgeon AND a good mom, no matter what all of the people interviewing me think. 

 These pictures were taken the same day as the ones above. There is something about the suit that just makes my belly look so much bigger! Probably the belt, but without it the button wouldn't stand a chance... ;)

26 Weeks

 So I thought it would be fun to do a comparison picture today wearing the same top as a prior picture. Here we are at 12 weeks vs. 26 weeks! Definitely sporting a nearly-third-trimester belly now! (as a side note, i have no clue when to say i'm actually in the 3rd trimester. I think at the end of this week it'll be official.

I just finished my first week on pediatric surgery and I've absolutely loved it. To the point that I'm thinking i might need to consider that when I rank my residency locations. I've been in the NICU and seen a baby that was even younger than Bailey (born wayyyyyy too early). it was really sad, but at the same time it was very neat to see developmentally just how big Bailey is now. She certainly FEELS big as she jumps and kicks and turns inside. Today I decided she has turned sideways and is laying with her head on my right and bottom/feet on my left. I still feel nearly all movement on my left, but it's gotten lower than before. 

Tonight we painted her nursery. We decided on a very pale blue called "spa blue" then we will accent with Dr. Seuss stuff. It looks much better than the previous dingy stale egg color. 

 Here's another picture in my maternity clothes. They are hand-me-downs and are kind of baggy (i'm sure in a month they will fit great lol) I think they make me look bigger than I really am, but oh well. I wore this sweater all day today because the weather decided to remind me of what winter in Lubbock is like!We were in the 30's today!!! Poor Bailey is going to be born into some very cold weather, we will have to make sure we get good at bundling her up for any outings.

Next week I take my gestational diabetes test... *crossing fingers that i pass!* I had a very real episode of feeling hypoglycemic on Saturday, hopefully that was not an indicator of what is to come.

I also got a few more interviews last week. I'm now scheduled for 7 interviews total... we are very excited to see where God sends us for these next 5 years.

Summary:
Weeks: 26
Fruit/veggie: Head of Lettuce
Weight gain: about 19 or 20 lbs.
Cravings: Pizza (ok, so i gave in and Micah ordered a delicious veggie pizza from a local gourmet pizza place last thursday... i showed up, paid for it, but they said it wasn't quite ready yet. I sat there in front of the counter for 20 minutes until they realized my pizza had been ready and sitting there for nearly 15 min! I was sooooo frustrated, i just took the pizza and left... got into my car... and started Bawling! I was so upset about the pizza taking forever and now it was semi-cold by the time i got it home... Logically i knew there was no reason to be crying but physically i just couldn't help it. Guess the pregnancy hormones are really ramping up... )
Milestones: Painted the nursery!

25 weeks

This week has been fun because i'm back at my home program in surgery. I've been back in the SICU a few times and it's truly like i'm seeing old friends.  I've had so many comment on how i now look pregnant and they tell me i'm cute and ask about the Baby. I truly am very conflicted about applying for residency at other places... 

I'm doing pediatric surgery this month and so far I love it! The resident is on vacation so the attending actually had me carry the beeper all day/night yesterday and today. I had another moment of crazy adrenaline when my beeper went off at 2:15 am and then i tried to go back to sleep after it ended up not being something i needed to go in to the hospital for. Apparently, my adrenaline rush hit Bailey and she was jumping around so much there was no way I was going to be able to fall asleep for a while. I think it took about 30 minutes for her to calm down and quit jumping around so i could go back to sleep. 

I've loved being back in Lubbock so much! It feels amazing to be in my own house in my town that feels like "home" I've also missed my puppies so much. While I was gone Micah got Fiona a REAL haircut at a groomers. This is her saying "hi" while micah was trying to take my weekly picture. 

We finally have somewhat of a nursery started. Nothing matches, but everything in it is full of love. It's all starting to feel so real. We even bought a baby doll to start working with the dogs with. (teaching them that when i'm holding the babydoll they can't jump on me, bite the doll, etc.) 

Summary:
Weeks 25
Fruit/veggie: Cauliflower
Milestones: Someone assumed i was pregnant today. I was leaving a patient's room and the patient's mom looks at me and says "when are you due?" I smiled and told her and she congratulated me. Afterward i realized i must REALLY be showing if she's confident enough to say something as most people are scared to ask in case the person isn't pregnant. Otherwise i'm just loving being pregnant this week. 

24 weeks

Here we are 24 weeks! Only 16 left :) This past month has been a real testament to how much you can do if you just put your mind to it. Now, my body & mind are crashing. It has also been a testament to how much I turn to eating when i'm stressed. (Whoops). 

After finishing my month on Trauma in San Antonio I met my mom & grandmother at the Canyon Lake retreat for 3 days. It was great catching up and I now have a new favorite domino game (mexican train dominos, we played at least 3 full games in 2 days). My mom took my weekly picture for me. 

At least my big belly makes my legs look thin! Bailey is definitely getting stronger. The previous video i posted of her "kicks" are nothing compared to how much she can make my belly move now. After a very quick trip to Houston to take a board exam, I'm now back in Lubbock and could not be happier to be home. The house was a mess, but Bailey's room had a beautiful new floor (courtesy of my hubby) and was empty and ready for us to begin filling it in. Micah got to feel & see Bailey kicking within just a few hours of me being home. It was great. 

Ethan (my almost 6 yr old nephew) spent a night at the timeshare too. The day he arrived I was wearing a tight-fitting purple top (the one i have on in my 23 week picture) and he decided to draw a picture of me to give to me. I saw it and thanked him but couldn't quit laughing. Apparently my nephew thinks my boobs have gotten bigger too! This is his drawing, completge with boobs and a baby-belly.

As of now it has been less than 2 weeks since I submitted my residency application and I now have 3 interviews scheduled! This is before i've even told them I got AOA too! For now I'm just booking them at the earliest dates given so that I can hopefully go on as many as possible without worrying about being put on bedrest or getting pre-ecclampsia etc. So for now I'll be in Temple, Tx at Texas A&M on Nov. 3rd, in Methodist hospital in Dallas, Tx on Nov. 8th, and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville on the 18th. 

Summary:
Fruit this week: Cantaloupe
Weight gain: 18-20 lbs (AHHHH!!!!, ok, I will not panic...i will not panic...it was the stress of being gone for a month i'm sure it will slow down at this point...)
Milestones: Micah felt Bailey kick and move and I made it back to Lubbock in one piece.
Cravings: I've really wanted pulled pork for the past 2 nights...

Bailey kicks

Ok, by far this is the coolest part of my pregnancy. Already love this little girl with the her rapid kicking. I know it is just going to get stronger and I get another 4 months of this! How amazing is this process?

You have to look REALLY closely (it helps to enlarge the video) and focus more on the left (where her feet are). Around 20 seconds are the most prominent kicks.

(side note around 10 seconds i sigh/breathe kinda big so that is me not her, but all the little fluid like wiggles are her)

23 Weeks

So I probably should have titled this entry "23 Weeks + a really good dinner" since that's really the belly you are seeing. It was slightly smaller this morning but after a very stressful week I treated myself to a dinner at a local place that serves crepes. I got one called 'The popeye" its a crepe with spinach, chicken, and mozzarella with a hit of pesto sauce. SOOOOOOOOOOO good! I may or may not have had a "mini" custard for dessert too :)

Micah and I are constantly blessed in our life and tonight was just another reminder. Since I've been gone so long a few couples at church invited Micah to join them for dinner tonight so he wouldn't have to be alone again. Then my sister in law had gotten a TON of nearly new baby girl stuff from a friend who was looking to give away a bunch of her old baby stuff. It's like I just had a miniature shower. We now have a baby bathtub, a cute boppy with a plush velor pink cover, tons of developmental toys, bottle carriers, a baby carrier to wear, etc. etc. 

I only have 1 more week in San Antonio. (does a happy dance!) The city isn't that bad, but I'm exhausted from this rotation, both physically and emotionally. I miss my husband and dogs and life back home. I can't wait for Micah to be able to feel Bailey kicking. This week I was even able to SEE her kicking when i was laying down at night. It made me smile so big, hard to believe she's that strong already. 23 weeks is a big milestone medically.

Lastly, I wanted to share my disappearing belly button. At the end of the day (when i took this picture) you can see how tight it is becoming. Sometimes i'm suprised by just how round my belly already is. Hard to believe i still have 16 more weeks to grow! 

Weeks: 23
Fruit: Grapefruit
Milestones: Could "SEE" Bailey kicking this week. Also will be my last week on an away rotation. And i submitted my application for Residency today (i'm applying to 19 programs total, so we will just have to wait and see where God sends us.)
Food I'm craving: Spinach and "whole food" type stuff. 

22 weeks

Holy Baby Belly Batman!  Sometime during my 80 hr work week my belly exploded! (ok not really, but you get the point). I've gone from "hmm... wonder if she's pregnant" to "geez, when is she due?" 

My belly button is holding on by a thread. If I've just eaten and i pull my skin a teensy bit it becomes 100% flat or even slightly pooched out. 

I went to my nephews soccer game on Saturday and the first words out of my sister-in-law's mouth were about how much my belly has grown in just 2 weeks. I was like... umm.. yup :) 

I think the belly is partly related to my relationship with taco cabana breakfast burritos (who else is open at 5:00 am?) but it is also partly related to how quickly BAILEY is growing ;) I've gone from feeling "flutters" to oh my gosh how can something that weighs barely a pound kick so hard? I learned that my adrenaline affects her too. I was working on friday night (a 24 hr shift of course) and at about 2:00 am we were getting slammed so I was pumped but apparently so was Bailey. she was kicking and punching the crap out of me for about an hour or so! 

"Work" was pretty exhausting this week. I think I pushed myself a little too hard. Between last monday and this morning i worked over 84 hrs. Finally at 4:00 this morning the resident (who knows i'm pregnant) told me that it was ok and for me to go home to sleep in a real bed. I may or may not have been falling asleep sitting in a chair with a patient blanket on me at that point ;) It was quiet so they didn't really need me so I gladly listened and went home. 

I had a weird craving for chocolate cake last week at like 8:00 am. I made it to noon till I finally gave in. My sister-in-law couldn't stop laughing and even pulled out a camera when she saw my "dinner" saturday night. (this was in between my two 24 hr shifts). I had a plum, then a fiber 1 bar, and then chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream  and a Big red :)  

Weeks: 22
Fruit: Papaya  (hmm wish i knew how big that was lol)
Cravings: Chocolate cake
Other stuff: I love my husband and I miss him SO incredibly much. I really NEEDED to do this away rotation for so many reasons and I really do think my career & life choices will be better because of it, but at the same time it is so hard to leave him for this long. He's doing great and is still supportive though. He has cleaned out his office (HUGE TASK!) and even put in a BRAND NEW TILE FLOOR for Bailey's room! I'm so blessed to have him. I cannot wait to get back to the Beautiful sky's and Fall in Lubbock, and for him to be able to enjoy this part of the pregnancy with me. (as i'm pretty sure he could easily feel Bailey kicking from the outside now). 

21 weeks

Wow, time is flying by! I'm already 21 weeks & 4 days. Decided to take another pic of my belly laying down to compare to the previous two. So thankful for my rapidly expanding belly!

21 w 4 days on the left vs 19 wks 2 days on the right.

Definitely staring to round out into a true baby belly! (although if you notice the left side still pokes up higher. I'm not really sure why either because she has been laying head down with her body on the right. I feel all of my "kicks" in that upper left corner too, so i don't think she has flipped)