Update

I went back for my 34 week appointment today. It went well overall. No protein in my urine, I'd lost a pound, and my swelling was so much better than it was on Wednesday. It was a million times better than it was last night, as a matter of fact. My feet are actually sore from having to wear shoes yesterday to work - none of my shoes fit anymore! My blood pressure was high initially - 130ish/90. When Dr. Orth saw that she mentioned something about bedrest, but when she checked it on the other arm, it was 122/80 - normal. She said I can go ahead and do what I want this week, but I should definitely take it easy and not travel. She's having me come back next Thursday. If the blood pressure is high next week, she said she'll put me on bedrest and induce labor at 37 weeks...eeek! I'm hopeful that by then, with a week of being off work and able to relax, my blood pressure will come down on its own. It will either do that or if it doesn't, then we will know it's preeclampsia. This really makes me confident in my doctor's advice not to travel - the idea that I could be having Claire in 3 weeks instead of 6 makes it crystal clear, as I wouln't dream of traveling at 37 weeks if I was delivering at 40...so it's basically the same difference. I'm overwhelmed at the idea of possibly being put on bedrest for the duration in less than a week - there's so much left to do. But I know it will all be fine, things will get done, and all that matters is Claire being alright. I love this baby girl so much and know that she will arrive exactly when God wants her to.

34 Weeks

I'm sorry that lately these updates are never on Wednesdays when my new week of pregnancy starts - seems like every Wednesday is so busy!

Total Weight Gain: 26 lbs on my scale at home, 29 on the doctor's scale

Size of Baby: Claire weighs as much as a cantaloupe!

Maternity Clothes: Yes! Yesterday at work, one of my coworkers laughed and commented on my cardigan not being maternity - thing is, it was maternity! Even some maternity clothes aren't long enough to cover this huge bump! For the last few days I've been sitting around at night with my shirt pulled up over my stomach because very few t-shirts cover the bump comfortably anymore. 

Sleep: I've eaten late a couple of times this week, which leads to being so uncomfortable at night.   

Movement: Yes, lots! She's getting so big that it can be a little uncomfortable. And apparently some of what I've been thinking were kicks have actually been hiccups!

Cravings: Christmas cookies are top of my list right now.

What I Miss: Eating a big meal and not feeling so bad afterward.

Gender: Sweet baby girl - Claire Campbell Todd

Mood: Tired, stressed, crazed. Just like all of you are this time of year...it's the American way!

Symptoms: Pain in my hands and wrists, rib pain on my left side, wearing a bra feels like some type of ancient binding torture.

I had a little scare yesterday. My sister let me borrow her portable blood pressure machine, so I've been occasionally checking my blood pressure, especially since Dr. Orth is watching it because of my swelling and sister's history of preeclampsia. Tuesday I noticed my numbers were high for me - normally my blood pressure is below or at 120/80. I took the machine with me to work on Wednesday and kept a running log of my readings throughout the day, most of which were high. Now, I'd hazard a guess that my blood pressure is always elevated at work, pregnant or not. Especially considering it's the last week of school and I'm trying to finalize semester grades for 140 students. And finish sub plans for maternity leave. And interview for long term subs - did I mention my subs both bailed this week? Anyway, after some urging from my mom and sister, I called my doctor and they said I could come in and they'd check out my weight and urine. A rapid weight gain and/or protein in the urine are signs of preeclampsia, as are swelling and high blood pressure, of course. I was really nervous all day at work trying to get stuff done, thinking I might not be coming back. I didn't feel good either. I convinced myself I had preeclampsia and that like my sister, I was going to go to the doctor, be sent to the hospital, and never leave. My sister was diagnosed right at this point in her pregnancy and then she delivered at 35 weeks. My weight was the same as last week and I had a trace amount of protein in my urine, so those were not a concern. My blood pressure was higher than it'd been all day though - I know the top number was 144, can't remember the bottom number. And my swelling was out of control bad - the worst it's ever been. My feet and ankles looked like the elephant man - I keep thinking about taking a picture to post but I can't bring myself to - it's so gross. Dr. Orth decided to send me over to Labor and Delivery at the hospital to have my blood pressure monitored for a couple hours. I immediately started crying and called Cam to come meet me. It was our wedding anniversary - is there anything more romantical? I thought I'd just sit there in my regular clothes and be monitored but they had me in a triage room in a hospital gown. The good news is that my blood pressure went way down once I got to the hospital...at one point the top number was 100. My blood work all came back great and so they let me leave after a little over an hour. No preeclampsia diagnosis, thanks goodness. 

I'm going back to the doctor for my already scheduled appointment tomorrow, so it will be good to see how things looks then. Today was the last day of work before the break, and it truly couldn't have come at a better time. My plan is to rest and do things I enjoy. Dr. Orth says I need to find a way to be really lazy. Unfortunately, she recommended that we not travel to Houston on Christmas like we'd planned. She was like "What if something happened and you had to deliver there?". She just doesn't think I should travel this far along and that I would swell horribly traveling in the car and be miserable. I know she's right, but it's hard. I don't like to change plans on people or inconvenience them - especially because of something having to do with my body. It will be the first Christmas that Cam spends away from his family and I hate that. I know it's okay though - all that matters is that Claire is alright! I want her to stay put for as long as possible. I will say though that I'm reaching the point where I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore. I don't want to wish away one second of this experience, but when I think about six more weeks of being so uncomfortable and worrying constantly about issues like this, I just feel very tired. I don't think there's been a single pregnancy symptom that I haven't dealt with in a big way. It's a blessing to be pregnant though, and I know that. 

Milestones: I can't think of anything this week! The monitor at the hospital picked up hiccups - is that a milestone? I'd been thinking those were kicks this whole time. Everyone at the hospital commented on what a mover she is!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I feel like I've shared a lot already. Sorry for rambling!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Christmas and the break

No bump picture this week, but believe me - I'm huge!

The Last Christmas

It's a really special Christmas for me and Cam this year. Our baby girl is almost here and it's crazy/exciting to think we'll have an almost 1 year old next Christmas! We love Christmastime, especially all of the music this time of year. I've liked this song for several years, but of course it's really special to me this Christmas.

Hope you enjoy!

33 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Not sure. When I was at the doctor this week, I was wearing heavy winter clothes and it was the end of the day, so I'm not counting that. Never question the logic of a pregnant woman. ;)

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a durian fruit. Another thing I've never heard of! And from the picture, it looks gross. 

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Sleep: Comes and goes. I've started waking up around 4 am - I think this is my body starting to prepare for the baby's schedule. 

Movement: She moves all the time! And she's getting so big that it's very noticeable. I spend a lot of time watching my stomach move - it's incredible.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm really thirsty all the time right now.

What I Miss: Nothing 

Gender: It's a girl - Claire Campbell!

Mood: I'm exhausted, which makes me emotional. Getting ready for the baby while working so much and trying to keep up with all the Christmas frenzy is overwhelming. It's also been a tough week for some very good friends of mine and with all the horrible stuff on the news since yesterday, it's just a sad time. 

Symptoms: Rib and back pain. Lots of swelling in my ankles. My doctor added an appointment this week because of the swelling, but everything checked out fine. 

Milestones: I had another beautiful baby shower this week at work. My friends were so sweet to put it together. I got so many nice and generous gifts, many of them handmade. I'm blessed to work with some very sweet people.

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: The bedding arrived this week and it is gorgeous! I'm so pleased with it - it's exactly what I pictured in my mind. I got several gifts at my shower that incorporated the toile fabric in the bedding, which is so neat!

What I'm Looking Forward to: Christmas Break! 4 more days!

No bump picture of me this week, but here's a pic of one of the gifts from my shower!

32 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: On my scale at home first thing this morning, I'd gained 22 lbs. On the doctor's evil scale at the end of the day after eating, I'd gained 26 lbs. 

Size of Baby: Claire's about the size of a squash.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. At night I wear regular t-shirts around the house and they aren't really covering my belly anymore!

Sleep: Pretty good, except I feel like I wake up every half hour or so and one of my hands is completely asleep. Then I'll wake up a little later and the opposite hand is asleep. It's weird because I'm not laying on them funny or anything that usually causes that. Must be a pregnancy thing!

Movement: Lots of movement! Sometimes it's a little uncomfortable since she's getting bigger. Sometimes I'm having a hard time differentiating between movement and Braxton Hicks contractions. Monday night I had what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions, but then today I found out Claire's feet are right were I was feeling them, so maybe it was just movement? My belly doesn't get rock hard like everyone says it does with Braxton Hicks, so maybe not.

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving the "Texas trash" my mom makes during the holidays. Other than that, I'm just extremely hungry. This baby wants food!

What I Miss: Ankle bones that I can see! Before the last week or so, when I woke up in the morning my swelling would've gone down and my ankles would look normal again. That ship has sailed though - they're swollen all the time now!

Gender: Baby girl - Claire Campbell Todd!

Mood: It was an awesome weekend, so I was in a great mood then! I had another wonderful baby shower on Saturday hosted by my sweet sister and friends. It was amazing! Cam and I are truly blessed to have so many generous people in our lives. I plan to post about it soon! My in-laws were in town for the weekend and it was so much fun! 

I've been stressed out ever since getting back to the grind on Monday, of course. It's another crazy week at work plus Cam and I've been dealing with a never-ending nightmare landscape job. We hired a landscaper months ago to plant some bushes in our front beds and it has taken months to get things done and the landscaper/his worker cut both our cable and sprinkler system lines in the process. It's been very stressful having to get all of this repaired over the last few weeks and get the landscape job itself done. When I expressed this to our landscaper on Monday night, he told me I was just being emotional because I'm pregnant. I can't really think of anything more demeaning that someone could say to me right now, especially considering I'm a customer whose paid him mucho dinero, only to have him damage a bunch of stuff. Needless to say, he's no longer our landscaper.

Symptoms: Swelling, random aches and pains, just being uncomfortable. I'm also burning up all the time. I'm freezing Cam out at home, with the A/C turned way down and the fan on! Hopefully it will cool off outside soon - that will help!

Milestones: We're 2 months away now! 

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I went to the doctor today and got to have an ultrasound first. It was great to see Claire again! She's getting so big and looks so filled out. She was sleeping so sweetly with her hand propped under her chin on the 4D ultrasound. It's just amazing what technology allows us to see! Everything is looking good! They measured her and estimate that she's about 4 lbs, 14 ounces, which puts her in the 76th percentile. They said a lot of that is because of her head - Lord help me in the delivery room! I thought the measurements sounded really big, but my doctor said that's fine/pretty average and would lead to about an 8 lb baby. She's very happy with how everything's looking, but she's a little concerned about my swelling and is having me come back next week now. My blood pressure has been fine, but she doesn't want to take any chances considering that my sister had preeclampsia. I will say that the last week has been one of the most physically taxing of my entire pregnancy - I've been on my feet a lot, so I'm hoping the swelling will improve.

What I'm Looking Forward to: The bedding should be arriving soon! I'm really looking forward to seeing it. Also, I have a baby shower at work on Monday - very excited about that!

And here's an ultrasound AND a bump pic!!! 

I am totally in love with this beautiful little girl! Can't wait to really see this sweet face in 2 months!

31 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: Up about 21 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is about the size of a pineapple! That is so big!

Maternity Clothes: Love them!

Sleep: Good. I wake up pretty early on my own now. I only had one choking incident last week, and OF COURSE, it happened when we were away on our little babymoon trip! There's nothing quite as romantic as your husband seeing you puke.

Movement: Yes, especially at night. When I lay down in bed on my side, she starts moving a ton! It's amazing!

Cravings/Aversions: I'm just very hungry right now!

What I Miss: I guess I miss not worrying so much about eating certain foods. A couple times lately I've hesitated/held off from eating a particular type of cheese because I'm not sure if it's one of the safe ones for pregnancy. 

Gender: Our little lady - Claire Campbell Todd! I am so excited to be having a girl! We're going to have so much fun! Cam and I were talking this weekend about how eventually we'll be dealing with things like our little girl dating and getting her heart broken. I'm not ready for that at all, and Cam is definitely not ready for that! I just want her to stay my little girl forever. 

Mood: Very relaxed until Monday hit and then it was back to busy reality!! I am still waiting for the part of pregnancy where I get to rest and put my feet up when I come home at night. Being in the 3rd trimester during the busy holiday season is no joke, y'all!

Symptoms: Lots of little random aches and pains, including my tailbone (ouch!). I get really tired around 2 pm everyday. I think I'm having some Braxton Hicks but I'm not sure. Lots of swelling - I went and bought a new pair of shoes yesterday for my baby shower because almost none of my shoes fit me anymore.

Milestones: She's due two months from today!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: We had a wonderful trip to Fredericksburg! It was great to have some time to get away.

What I'm Looking Forward to: My Austin baby shower this weekend! I can't wait!

I'm pictureless again this week! :(

30 Weeks and 30 Years

Total Weight Gain: Up about 20 lbs.

Size of Baby: Claire is the size of a large cabbage. Dr. Orth says she's probably about 3 lbs right now. I know that's tiny, but it's just unbelievable to me that I'm carrying around a 3 lb baby!

Maternity Clothes: Yep. Occasionally a regular dress, paired with leggings. 

Sleep: Pretty good. Only one choking episode this week and it was very minor, so maybe my new sleep positions are working.

Movement: Yep, lots of it off and on. She moves so much sometimes that when she has a day where she doesn't move as much, I find myself worrying about if she's okay. But then she'll move again and it's very reassuring. 

Cravings/Aversions: I'm craving my Mom's cornbread dressing, which I get to eat tomorrow on Thanksgiving! I'm so excited! Her dressing would change your life - it is one of the most delicious things on Earth! 

What I Miss: I read somewhere that the baby's nutritional needs are at their greatest right now, which makes sense because I have been incredibly hungry for the past couple of weeks. This is in stark contrast to the first 3 months of pregnancy, when I felt like I had to force-feed myself sometimes. Anyway, it's ironic because I've never been hungrier, but eating makes me miserable! If I eat a meal after 5 pm, I will be so full I can barely move. It feels like I've swallowed a watermelon and I can't breathe, but I do it anyway because I'm so hungry! And then I feel that way until the next morning. So I guess I miss eating a meal and feeling normal afterwards. 

Gender: It's a girl - Claire Campbell Todd. One of my birthday presents from my parents was this really neat journal where I can track feedings and diaper changes in those first few crazy weeks after Claire's born. The journal is customized with her full name on the cover. Something about seeing her name in print made me fall completely in love with it all over again!

Mood: Good. It's been a fun week and the next one is going to be great too!

Symptoms: Back pain, being uncomfortable, and nasal congestion! At home, I literally go through an entire box of kleenex on a weekly basis. 

Milestones: I had a wonderful baby shower in Houston this weekend! It was a beautiful party with lots of very sweet people! Everyone was so generous and gave us such nice things for Claire. We are very blessed. Once I get the pictures together, I'll do a post about it soon.

Also, it's pretty crazy to me that I turned 30 years old the same week as I reached 30 weeks of pregnancy. My sister reminded me that the same thing happened to her with her 27th birthday last year when she was pregnant. Interesting!

Anything Else You'd Like to Share: I had my 30 week appointment yesterday. I'm now at the point where I'll go every 2 weeks. Everything looks good! Claire measured a week ahead! Dr. Orth tries to find a reason to have an ultrasound late in the pregnancy that insurance will cover, so since Claire measured a week ahead, we're going to have an ultrasound in two weeks when I go back. I'm excited - they are going to measure her and see what percentile's she's in. I'm a little nervous too - I hope she's not really big or really small! I think we'll have a much clearer picture of when our little lady might make her entrance into the world! 

My doctor keeps telling me she can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going, and I totally agree! She said that after only 4 more weeks, if I went into labor they wouldn't do anything to stop it....eeeek! I need more time! I should clarify that she was just talking in general terms - she doesn't have any reason to think Claire's coming that early.

What I Look Forward to: Thanksgiving with my family - it's nice to get to be home and just be together! On Friday, Cam and I will head to Fredericksburg for the weekend for a little babymoon/birthday trip! I can't wait! 

No bump picture this week - Cam's at work and I'm in my pajamas on the couch. No pictures please! ;)