32 Weeks

Thursday, June 26 - 32w, 6d
Can't believe I didn't start this week's post earlier in the week, oh well...let's see what I can remember.

• This weekend was spent with family in St. Louis. Aunt Linda & Uncle Roger came over Friday night, then we rode with them to St. Louis where we met up with Aunt Elise, Uncle Kyle, Cole, Liam, Uncle Kirk, Aunt Lisa, Max & Jake. We went out to lunch, walked to see the Arch, then back to the hotel to cool off before walking to the Cardinals game. It was hot, but it was a lot of fun, especially because they won. The next day we met Aunt Katrina & Isaac for breakfast before heading home.
• This week I had another high-risk appointment which was uneventful. The doctor said I'm practically low-risk because I haven't had any problems....can't complain about that! I weighed 131lbs, which is a pound down from last week, but they weren't concerned. You fell asleep during the ultrasound! They were trying to get your movements recorded and it took them forever for them to see enough movements because you were apparently sleeping. We also saw you practicing your breathing again, your heartbeat was 139bpm, and the ultrasound tech said you're not bald, she showed me a couple places where you apparently have hair. :) You were still breech and completely squished with your hands, feet and the umbilical cord in front of your face so I only got one 2-D picture of half of your face. The doctor wants me to make it to 39 weeks...I think you're going to run out of room and come early, but we'll see. Maybe that's just because I'm bored out of my mind and am getting so antsy to meet you!
• This week you've been moving like crazy! Your movements are less noticeable kicks or punches, but more like whole-body rolls and stretches. You've been making my belly morph into very interesting shapes! You like to favor one side of my belly at a time and make it stick out really far and get really hard (I'm assuming it's your head). You also got Daddy laughing at you the other night because you had the hiccups and they were shaking my belly each time, but you were also moving a lot between hiccups, so it was quite entertaining to watch all of that from the outside.
• Haven't had too many Braxton Hicks this week, either.

31 Weeks

Sunday, June 15 - 31w, 2d
Officially two months until you're due date, but I know everyone's hoping you'll come a little early. :) Yesterday, we had our last baby shower for you and it was great. We got a ton of equipment and 'stuff' for you so I'm starting to feel much more prepared for your arrival. I cannot wait to go through it this week, open things, set things up and get your first load of laundry done!

Mommy & Auntie Catie

Monday, June 16 - 31w, 3d
I had your next appointment today with the high-risk team. First, I had a very quick ultrasound done to measure my fluid, you were breech again and your heart rate was 139bpm. This time you feet were way over your head and your arms were covering your face...again! You really don't want us to get another 3-D picture & see your cute face until you're born! That's okay, I guess, since its coming up quick. :)
After the ultrasound, I was weighed (132.2 lbs) and then talked with the doctor for a little bit. He was very pleased with our progress and we talked about beginning labor & delivery plans and what meds & things to bring with me to the hospital.

View of my belly during my NST

Finally, I had my first non-stress test. I sat in a large recliner with two monitors hooked up to my belly that monitored your heart rate, movements and possible contractions. I sat there for a little over 30 minutes, then the doctor looked at the graph print out. He said everything looked great and that he'd see me next week.


Wednesday, June 18 - 31w, 5d
I've been having so much fun organizing your nursery! Now if we can just get rid of the enormous recliner in there, I could arrange the room how I want it. Today I did your first two loads of laundry. The first load was sheets, towels, blankets, burp cloths and bibs.

The second load was all newborn, 0-3 month and a few larger onsies, and all outfits that I've taken the tags off of. This is probably only about 1/2 of your full wardrobe because I've left the tags on lots of things, especially the bigger stuff, because we don't know if you'll be able to wear it all!

And I can't forget to give credit to your daddy! While I've been focusing my nesting on your room, he's been focused on finishing all of his projects inside the house and outside. It's been extremely hot this week, but everyday after work he's been out in the backyard putting the patio together and he never complains! I tried to help him out by mowing the lawn yesterday, because that's about as much heat as I can handle.

Here's the patio this evening before Daddy started putting the pavers down.

Speaking of heat, I've been walking every morning with my friend, Natalie & her adorable daughter, Makenzie, to get my exercise in each day. I'm glad we're doing it, especially in the morning, because even though it may only be 30-45 minutes, we sure do work up a sweat! But it feels so good to get out of the house each morning and get a little work out in to start my day.


Thursday, June 19 - 31w, 6d
Final thoughts for the week: I'm still getting random, sporadic Braxton Hicks (some days more than others); I can tell you're growing because my low ligament pain is coming back; my gas/bloating/bathroom needs have gotten much better since consistently adding an extra enzyme to all meals & snacks (yay!); and I can also tell you're getting bigger because my lungs aren't bouncing back as quickly now that I'm on Tobi as they normally do. I still cough up a lot of junk and feel tight/crackly more than usual after a week of Tobi and I'm attributing that to the lack of space in there. But really, I can't complain. I'm still feeling well, getting things done around the house (so much so that I'm running out of things to do) and you're still moving, shifting and rolling all the time. :-)

Guest Blogger/Interview on My Pregnancy

Thanks to my fellow cyster and blogger, Inhaling Hope for interviewing me and having me as a guest blogger on your blog. Please click on her name above to take you to her blog and an interview about our ttc process, fertility and pregnancy. :-)

30 Weeks

30 weeks -- Ozzie got into the picture this time :)

Saturday, June 7 - 30w, 1d
Today is our first family shower and I'm really looking forward to it. We're also combining it with Aunt Katrina's sprinkle, so that should be fun. :)
This week you're strong enough to grasp a finger, you're skin is getting smoother because you're adding more fat to your body, and your brain is getting more wrinkles because it's developing so much....so pretty much you're getting stronger, fatter and smarter the longer you stay in there! :-)
I'm really looking forward to spending a great weekend with the family, and then to your ultrasound on Monday. It's also going to be my first, of many, weekly NSTs (non-stress tests), too.


Tuesday, June 10 - 30w, 4d

Great-grandma Danner (100 years old) made this quilt for you :-)

Saturday's shower was excellent. It was so laid back, relaxing and fun to have the whole family and a few of our friends there to help celebrate you and your cousin.

You got a TON of adorable clothes...so much so that Daddy and I are going to probably have to change your outfit several times a day so you can wear everything at least once before you grow out of it. :)

Yesterday, I had the first of my weekly doctor appointments. I was 128.9lbs and the doctor told me that the blood work they did last time came back excellent. My A1C was 5.4, my hemoglobin level was a 12 (normal), and my liver and kidney functions were perfect. The doctor said you're "small/normal", but you're still growing proportionally compared to your last ultrasound and right on track. You're still on the charts, just on the small side, but they're not concerned at all. You were about 3lbs 1oz, your heart rate was 138bpm, and you were breech & completely folded in half. Your arms and legs were blocking your face pretty much the entire time, so we couldn't get an updated 3D image of your face.

Here's your left leg across your forehead :)

We were able to see you practicing your breathing which is a very good sign. Because of this, they decided I did not need to do a non-stress test. The doctor told me that each week I'll either have an ultrasound or a non-stress test and they probably won't measure you for another three-four weeks.

I can't believe we're this far along already and I cannot wait to finally meet you!


Thursday, June 12 - 30w, 6d
Not too much to update, but I wanted to add that right now you're loving the Rock-a-Bye version of "Sweet Child of Mine". I've been playing music for you these last few days while we're lounging at home in hopes that you'll recognize it when you're here....and maybe, just maybe, it'll help calm you. :) Mommy & Daddy both love listening to music and we hope you enjoy it, too. I'm even wondering if they have wi-fi in the delivery room because I'd love to have this Pandora station on to help keep me calm during labor.
It's weird to think that I'm this close to delivering you! I cannot wait for you to be here! I'm sure these last two months are slowly going to creep by because there isn't much going on during the week while Daddy's at work, but I've been learning to keep myself busy with crafts, cleaning, reading, and soon I'll be walking almost every morning with one of my friends, so that'll help. Thankfully I've been sleeping pretty well at night still and haven't needed a ton of naps during the day, but I also stay pretty relaxed, so I'm sure that helps.

Clinic Appointment

Today's appointment was...okay. The doctor and nurse both commented on how 'cute' I look and that I'm all belly. I've gained a pound since my OB appointment last week, so I now weigh 131lbs! This means I've gained 17lbs so far this pregnancy which I'm pretty proud of. :) I explained to my doctor and nurse about my gas, bloating and extra bathroom trips and they suggested increasing my enzyme intake for a while, with all meals & snacks, to see if that helps.

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I've been off of Cayston for a week now and have noticed an increase in my mucus production since stopping. When they listened to me today, they said I sounded great and I told them that I'm still feeling really well lung-wise, aside from my increased cough over the past few days. Before I did my PFTs (which took forever because the system quit working about an hour before I got there), we decided to start me back up on Tobi since my mucus and cough are increasing, so I'll be starting that probably next week.

Finally, they found one of the other CF doctors who was able to use the study PFT machine/cart, so he came in and did them with me. Apparently the system is a bit different and he had to click on things at a very specific time for it to register...so I ended up doing the test six times and only two of them registered. It was a great work out for my lungs and I was able to give my doctor a nice sputum sample afterward. My average FEV1 today was 70% and my FVC was 71%, which I was initially very bummed about! I was expecting them to be in the upper 70s with the way I've been feeling - not unchanged! My doctor assured me that she was very pleased with those results because I've been able to maintain my lung function during this portion of pregnancy. So overall I've gone down about 10% from my baseline during my entire pregnancy, and it was all lost in the first 16 weeks (well probably during weeks 14-16) when I was off Kalydeco and all antibiotics. The fact that I haven't lost any since then is apparently wonderful. Of course I always want to do better, but with this little lady slowly taking up more room, I guess I can settle for maintaining for now. I hope that the Tobi helps out and that I don't lose anymore of my ling function this pregnancy. I'll be going back to the CF doctor in just over a month (probably right as I wrap up my Tobi cycle) to make sure everything's still going well. :-)

CF Clinic Tomorrow

I finally have my next CF clinic appointment tomorrow afternoon. The last time I was there was in February, I was 16 weeks pregnant, had been off Kalydeco and any antibiotics for months, felt like crap, and blew my lowest FEV1 ever...clearly, not a great appointment.

Since that appointment I've started my Kalydeco back up (the night I got home from clinic), did a 28 day cycle of Tobi in March, a 28 day cycle of Cayston in May, have stuck to my treatments diligently, and am 30 weeks pregnant. At the end of my Cayston cycle, my mucus production was pretty much non-existent which was unusual, but a welcomed change for once. Since being off Cayston for just over a week, I've seen a slight increase in my mucus production, but I've still been able to take deep breaths and have been feeling generally well lung-wise.

Except, over the past couple of days, my mucus production has significantly increased, especially during the day, but I still don't feel CF-sick, or any kind of sick for that matter. I'm curious if this is pregnancy related or CF related, and I'm very curious to see what my FEV1 looks like tomorrow. A week ago, I would have bet money that it was back in the low 80s, but now I'm not sure where all of this extra mucus is coming from and if it's going to effect my results tomorrow....as long as they're up! I know that one PFT doesn't determine too much as far as how I'm feeling, but like I said, a week ago I felt like my lungs were so clear and now they're filling up out of no where....I guess that Cayston really did something.

I've also been feeling extremely gassy and bloated again this week, but I think this is pregnancy related somehow. I had these same symptoms at the beginning of May, around my 25th week and they lasted a couple weeks. Then I thankfully had a couple weeks of relief until it started again at the beginning of this week.

Don't really have a point to this post, other than documenting how I'm feeling before my appointment tomorrow because I really have no idea what to expect. I'm assuming I'll have to go on at least one more round of inhaled antibiotics before delivery so that my lungs are in the best shape possible when Baby Girl arrives. Stay tuned tomorrow evening to see how it all goes down. :-)

29 Weeks

Friday, May 30 - 29 weeks
I know I mentioned this a little bit in last week's post, but the ligament pain continues and for the first time, I can say that I'm uncomfortable. I have to be much slower and more careful about my movements, especially when getting up after sitting or laying for a while. It's not very fun, especially when I haven't felt pregnant at all until now. I honestly cannot complain because I'm still feeling well lung-wise, and Tim and I were able to go on a nice long walk last night, but I was exhausted today. Summer break came at the absolute perfect time. I decided today, that I'm going to take advantage of my free time by reading and taking naps whenever I feel like it. I also plan on doing at least one productive thing a day - today it was two loads of laundry and assemble the Pack 'n Play so the cats can get used to it.

They loved it, of course. I'm hoping the new-ness will eventually
wear off and they won't be so interested in it when Baby Girl arrives.

I think, last night, I experienced my first couple Braxton Hicks, but I'm not 100% sure. I wasn't in pain, but a couple times I felt my belly tighten for no more than a minute, and then everything was back to normal. Of course I spent the night and this morning over-analyzing it all and worrying that Little Miss is going to come super early, or that I'm going to be on bed-rest for the rest of my pregnancy, but I talked myself out of it and realized this is completely normal to be feeling this way in the third trimester. The doctor assured me that as long as I'm not feeling extra pain/pressure and the baby's movements don't change, it's totally normal and just my body's way of preparing for labor -- weird to start thinking about that! Again, summer break is here and I am going to relax as much as I can, so I really don't know what I was freaking out about....crazy hormones!


Sunday, June 1 - 29w, 2d
It's already June which means we have just over two months until you're arrival! I noticed today that I'm in complete nesting mode...but there's not a whole lot I can do until we have more of your stuff. Good thing your showers are the next two weekends which I'm so excited about!
Today while Daddy & I were at Menards, we bought some little corner shelves for your closet. Of course, as soon as we got home I wanted Daddy to put them in, and thankfully it started raining, so instead of working outside, he did!

Here's the shelves after they were first put in - with Daddy's tools & things all over the closet floor.

Here's what it looks like now after I pulled all of Daddy's stuff out (which is now in a pile in the middle of your room)
and put your stuff in there. Doesn't look like it from here, but there's lots of space inside the door to
the right where some of your clothes are already hanging, too. :-) 

*Side note -- I haven't noticed anymore Braxton Hicks since yesterday morning, yay.


Wednesday, June 4 - 29w, 5d
This week is going by so slowly because I'm anxiously waiting for my upcoming CF appt, our first family baby shower, another family party and the first of my weekly ultrasounds & NSTs coming up. So to pass the time over the past couple of days I've done some more work in my classroom, made a few trips to Hobby Lobby and done some crafts for your room. As you'll learn, Mommy is not the crafty/creative parent, but I'm pretty proud of what I've made the past couple days and I cannot wait to see it all come together in your room!

Every once in a while, I'm still having some aches and pains, but nothing unbearable (oh, and the lovely leg cramps came back a couple overnights this week, yay). I think I've had a few more Braxton Hicks over the last couple days, but they're not very strong or noticeable. Plus, sometimes I can't tell if my belly is contracting, or you're just moving in a weird position. I'm not too worried about it. You've still been moving like crazy and every now and then your moves are so big & forceful, you catch me off guard! :) You've also had the hiccups quite a bit lately, but I can only feel them if my hand is on my belly. They haven't been strong enough to jiggle my whole belly...yet. Oh, and my lovely symptom of increased gas and bloating is back...yipee.