34 Weeks

Cheers to our last post for the month of October!  The Holiday season begins soon and we all know what that means...

T-minus 6 weeks (or so) until our baby arrives! 

Our little guy still moves all the time and has hiccups multiple times every day.  I love it.  I love feeling him and knowing he's okay.  If he were to be born now he would be considered a late preterm, so we're right on the cusp of being full-term.  Babies born after 34 weeks don't generally have any health problems so, in my eyes, we've hit another milestone!

The nesting urge is sinking in because... I detailed the Jeep.  That is to say, I busted my ass trying to clean every nook and cranny of the Jeep.  It feels like I'm running out of time and this stuff needs to be done... soon.  Like now.  I have a steam mop with a detachable hand tool so I'll be steam cleaning the seats sometime next week.  Finally purchasing a car seat prompted all of this, and the thought of putting our baby's car seat into an unclean car just didn't sit right with me.

We opted for this convertible car seat as it fits baby from 4lbs+ right off the bat!  No need for an infant seat and I'm all about saving money if I can.  An appointment to have the seat installed is set with Torrance CHP for Friday, November 3rd.

23 October 2017:  Deployment Date #1
Trevor, being the sweet guy he is, has been trying to arrange a "date" for a few weeks now.  Early last week he finally set things up for us.  "This Monday, grab a bite to eat then meet me at a little coffee shop for our date."  And so I did.

The coffee shop at his base is pretty popular during the day but luckily it's cleared out at night.  He's 10-hours ahead of California time so we had our date during his nighttime, my morning.  Walking into a crowded Starbucks initially fueled concerns that skyping in a public place would invite unwanted eavesdroppers and lookiloos, but I ended up not caring.  I ordered a white chocolate mocha and a chocolate croissant; in part because Trevor recently requested a few Hersey's bars to melt down and add to croissants.  He ordered some fruity drink and had to go outside a few times because internet inside the shop was spotty.

This date was seriously awesome, and that's a bit surprising to me.  There's so much we're use to experiencing while physically being with someone that it seems dating from a distance would be at a disadvantage, but it wasn't!  We talked and laughed together and I felt so very loved.  This man I married is simply incredible.

We spent about an hour together before he encouraged me to go to Chick-fil-a as my next destination.  I was supposed to grab a bite to eat beforehand but I hadn't so I tossed my trash and gathered up my things.  Trevor kept me company along the drive to Chick-fil-a as I set the tablet on the seat next to me so he could see me.  I drove through the drive-thru so we could keep chatting and when one of the workers approached my window to take my order I introduced her to my husband, haha.  She thanked him for his service and wished him well.  Chick-fil-a is selling children's books right now so I bought two for David.

Not wanting to park in the restaurant parking lot, I kept driving until I reached home.  Well, almost home.  I wound up in front of the little park near my mom's house and I ate my lunch there under the shade of the trees with Trevie.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting to feel so rejuvenated by that date.  For the rest of the day I felt as if I was on cloud 9.  Trevor is so thoughtful, so sweet and has the ability to make me happy even from so far away.  There are plenty of negatives when it comes to deployments--but the choice to overcome and adapt to any challenging situation is always within our grasp.  And in this family, we choose joy.  We choose happiness.

24 October 2017:  OB Appointment + Ultrasound + Arbitrary Head Measurement
It took the doctor a few seconds to find David's heartbeat.  As usual, David was wiggling around and evading the doppler wand but for a split second, my heart sank.  For a few seconds I couldn't feel him moving.  I took a huge sigh of relief once Dr. Friedman located his heartbeat, but as you can see in the video, David snuck out from under the doppler's reading a few more times.  Funny how Trevor and I both think the baby will be like each other, respectively.  I envision this little guy to be sneaky and funny like his daddy, and Trevor thinks he'll be persnickety like me.

Dr. Friedman offered to perform another ultrasound after I mentioned Trevor's command is awaiting the results on the baby's position; breech or head down.  Never thought I'd ever be bummed to hear, "Yeah, he's head down.  He's ready and in-position" but as you know from last week's post, if David is breech then Trevor's command is likely to send him home even sooner.  Trevor and I decided to wait until the 36-week anatomy scan before we communicate back with his command.

Dr. Friedman attempted to measure David's head.  Hopefully his calculations are off because baby's head is measuring at 37w4d when he's only supposed to be 33w1d.  We'll see what the results from the 36-week anatomy scan indicate. 

Week-In-Review

Learning how to play Yahtzee at Beth's 28th

Trevie Box #3:  Halloween Edition.  Includes a shitton of candy, 2 pumpkins (1 real, 1 fake), 1 LifeStraw, Starwars Kleenex and more candy...

Week 34 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  Baby weighs about 4.7lbs and measures about 17.7 inches.

2.  What's developing this week?

3.  Current weight? 141.  +1lb from last week.  +24lbs prepregnancy.

4.  Movement?  Lots of pressure against my ribs this week.

5.  Sleep?  Sleep is okay.  Piriformis still acts up but I feel well-rested.

6.  Symptoms?

• Eye pain, possible dry eyes.  Drops helped a bit.
• Mid and lower back pain.
• Fatigue. 
• Patches of dry skin.
• Pubic bone soreness.  Thinking it might be from my PT exercises.
• Excruciating wrist pain on both wrists one night.  Thought I might have pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel but thankfully it hasn't happened again.
• Swollen feet after a night out with friends.

7.  Cravings and Aversions? Aversion to nacho cheese.

8.  Best moment this week?  Date with Trevie.

9.  Prayer requests?

• Prayers for employment opportunities for Trevor post-deployment; whether active duty or civilian.  And for wisdom to make these big decisions.
• Prayers that God will strengthen my body and prepare it for birth.  That I would be prompted to do whatever needs to be done to be ready in-time.  And that my body and skin would continue to stretch and grow to meet baby's needs.

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  Seeing my friend Carrie from Fort Collins!

Week 34 Photos

Note:  Unlike previous weeks, these photos were not taken with an empty stomach.

33 Weeks

Thirty-three weeks today and overall I'm feeling pretty good.  I had a little bit of cramping this morning before taking this week's belly photos.  Day by day, we're getting closer to meeting our son and each morning I give thanks to God that our little guy is still in the womb and growing strong.

As far as this week goes, all I can say is God is at work!  I'm beside myself with humble gratitude as God continues to reveal to me who He is by way of our personal relationship.

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown, where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep my faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours.  And You are mine.

Like I mentioned last week, I finished reading Jackie Mize's faith-based childbirth book.  Reading this book provoked me to pray for a stronger foundation of faith.  Since finding out we were pregnant and knowing that Trevor would be overseas, I confided in the Lord to be my "birth partner" and asked Him to guide me through.  Early this past week I prayed He would strengthen my faith and provide support for me during the delivery of David.

As I spent time getting ready Tuesday morning, I felt the Lord prompt me to pray for Trevor to come home for the birth.  I was resistant to it and shrugged it off as I thought to myself, "No, that's not possible... don't want to get my hopes up by praying for it."  God pressed on and the prompting grew stronger to where I couldn't think of anything else.

"If I prayed for this..." I reasoned, "that would mean he would likely be injured, or something bad would happen that would bring him home.  No, I don't want that."  As soon as I finished my thought I was made aware there are other ways in which Trevor could miraculously come home.  God responded by asking me to trust Him and that it wouldn't be bad.

"What have I got to lose?"

So, I mustered together a few words for a half-assed prayer.  Mentally, I kept the idea of the whole Trevor-coming-home-for-the-birth fantasy at a distance as to not be disappointed and hurt.  And really, I had already come to terms with him not being there.

The next morning, Trevor calls and says he has possible good news.

His supervisor approached him that morning, which is rare because they work opposite shifts.  He asked Trevor when his "mini me" is set to arrive to which Trevor shared our due date of December 10th.  "Ah, man!  If it had been towards the end of December I could have sent you home.  I'm not sure about early December.  But what the heck?  Let's try anyways!"

Without any initiation or prompting from Trevor, a form was submitted on his behalf up the chain of command requesting that he be sent home to be present for the birth of our son.  How.  Freaking.  Amazing. Is that?!  I mean... really?!

My jaw dropped and my mind went straight back to the previous morning.  To God prompting me to pray.  To my half-assed, no-good, sorry-excuse for a prayer for something huge.  Oh ye, of little faith.  Yup, that's me.

God's providing, you guys.

As Trevor and I are still on the phone I quickly fill him in on my moment with God the morning prior.  He's left speechless as now we both know for sure... God's will be done.  If He wants Trevor home for birth then it's a done deal.

We hang up and I immediately pray and worship.  How great is our God that He would bother with me?  Time and time again I fall short of deserving His blessings and yet, here I am, still receiving.  Still in awe of who He is.  Amazed by all of the little things that God provides for me, much of which I don't even bother to acknowledge.  None of us do... we're so accustomed to living our everyday lives that we move past glorifying the One who provides our every day.  Our every night.

In my prayer I asked God to tell me how He wants me to pray about this situation.  Then, as usual, I head to Target, haha.  It's where I walk around for exercise, as you know.  And maybe I browse through the baby boy clearance rack but I digress.

As I'm walking around Target I start chatting with one of the workers; a middle-aged man whose sense of humor matches my own.  As we're talking and laughing together somehow we start talking about Jesus.  Not even exaggerating, I ended up chatting with this man (whose name is Albert) for over an hour!  We could not stop talking about God!

During our chat I feel encouraged to tell him what God is doing for Trevor and I.  I even ask him to pray over it and his response was just what I needed to hear.

"It's already done.  You don't need to pray over this at all.  Just give thanks."

God answered my prayer yet again, you guys!  The Lord doesn't need me to keep asking for this situation to work-out.  He's already handling it.  All I need to do is give thanks.  It's incredible to receive an answered prayer three times in a single week!  First, I prayed for strengthening of faith and support during the birth... check.  Second, after God's prompting, I pray that Trevor would come home for the birth of David... God's working on it.  Lastly, I asked God how I ought to continue to pray over this matter... just be thankful, He says (through Albert).  Gotcha.  I can certainly do that.

Towards the end of the week we heard back from Trevor's commander.

Basically, they agreed to send him home early but they're unsure of if it will be in-time for the birth.  With that said, he's set to come home early!  They're asking if I have any medical issues and if the baby is breech or seems to have any issues of his own.  He sent up a follow-up letter informing his commander we will discover our baby's position in a few weeks and we'll keep him in-the-loop of any changes in health; the baby's and/or my own.

I'm still blown away.  All I can do is smile to myself.  When I was younger, God revealed to me I could pray about anything.  He made it clear He would always be with me and any prayer I prayed that glorified Him... He would provide.  I think that's why I'm so quick to share about my relationship with God with all of you.  He has done so much for me and once I knew Him, I could never turn my back away.

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of the my Savior

21 October 2017:  Baby-Stuff Shopping Spree at Target!
Did you guys catch the great sale in the baby section at Target?  Holy moly.  Tons of things were on sale and if you spent $100 on baby items, you received a $20 gift card.  Likewise, if you spent $250, you got a $50 gift card.  Being that we have two registries, we received a few doubles so I simply returned any extras to Target.  Well, along with gift cards we received as gifts, I ended up with over $300 to spend!  As mentioned last week, I was more than ready to get everything prepped for baby's arrival--and it was a little stressful not being prepared.  Plus, with a completion discount of 15% off anything in my baby registry, I was ready to shop.

Do you guys price check online?  I do.  I saved over $80 on this baby monitor by asking customer service to price-match for me. 

At the end of it all, I still have money left on gift cards plus I earned $70 in new gift cards by splitting up my purchases.  I got a ton of stuff and now I'm wishing I had taken pictures of everything for you guys.  Or maybe I'll just link it if that's preferable.  Either way, I'll be sure to do that for next week's post.

Week-In-Review

Care Package #2 is finally on it's way!

Theme:  10 Things I miss about you, Trevor.

Trevor makes even the most mundane of tasks fun.

Finally got some Subway, y'all!  No deli meat.  Went with meatballs.

The many faces of Trevor.

Week 33 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  Baby weighs about 4.2lbs and measures 17.2inches long, about the size of a head of celery!  He may grow up to a full inch this week!

2.  What's developing this week? 

3.  Current weight?  140.  No weight change this week.  +23lbs pre-pregnancy.

4.  Movement? What were once small little kicks are full-body movements.  It's such a trip to watch my belly and see him turning over.

5.  Sleep?  Overall it's pretty good.  A few times this week I've woken up because my belly itches.  So I've had to get up and add oils and lotions.

6.  Symptoms?  Many symptoms are the same as last week, actually.

7.  Cravings and Aversions?  Nope.

8.  Best moment this week?  The answered prayers.

9.  Prayer requests?

• Join me in a Praise Report?:  Lord God,  You are amazing in every... single... way!  Thank You for all that You've done, all You continue to do and all that You will do.  We are humbled and amazed that, even while we were still sinners, You died for us that we might know You.  Yours is the Kingdom, the Glory and the Power, forever and ever!

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  Another OB appointment on Tuesday but I'm sure he'll just be checking baby's heartbeat with the Dopper and measuring my uterus... nothing too exciting.  Around week 35 we'll get to see baby boy again!

Week 33 Photos

32 Weeks

Sorry for the late post!  My mind has been on other things the last two weeks.  During the weeks leading up to the baby shower, I fought off intense urges to stockpile baby must-have necessities much like avoiding preparation for an impending zombie apocalypse; newborn baby edition.  What a blessing it is to have friends and family who want to provide for little David's early stages in life, but man... the delay of having everything ready-to-go was stressful!  It's a crazy feeling as a FTM (first-time mom) to be excited to meet and hold my baby but also desperately want him to stay in as I am totally unprepared for his birth and bringing him home.

And as soon as I got home from the baby shower my brain switched, as I knew it would.  There's still a lot to organize but the process has begun.  It's a little tough because fatigue has returned and there's only so much time I can spend standing-up before I need to sit down.  Also, for the last few weeks I've had trouble breathing while standing.  Doesn't happen all the time so my guess is it depends on his position and whether he's pushing heavily on my lungs and diaphragm.  Just feels like I can't take in enough air unless I sit down for a few minutes.

Remember those goals of mine?  Haha, I haven't mentioned them in awhile because I've lost sight of them!  I'm glad I established a few goals for myself as I planned to stay occupied while Trevor's away, except this pregnancy has changed everything!  A great benefit of pregnancy is it has taught me to listen to my body.  Sounds cliché, but really!  Before becoming pregnant, I pushed my body to the limits and recovered later.  However now out of fear of preterm labor, I err on the side of caution.  I rest when my body clearly needs rest and I cut myself some slack.

Well, I finished reading Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize.  It's been awhile since I picked up the book so I opted to reread the first half over again, but it was worth it.  To summarize, it's a real-life application of biblical promises as it pertains to childbirth.  As the story goes, the curse of a painful childbirth stems from Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden; however, because of Christ's death and resurrection, we have been redeemed.  It's by the gift of Jesus' sacrifice that, according to this book, we can receive a pain-free, natural childbirth.

Kinda interesting, huh?  In all honesty, if this book hadn't been recommended by moms that I trust, I probably wouldn't have read it.  As I've mentioned before, I'm not against receiving an epidural--in fact, I plan on requesting one but this book gives me a lot to think and pray about.  Thought I would share it with all of you lovely folks as well!

10 October 2017:  OB Appt #.... I lost count.
Dr. Friedman thinks baby boy was resting during the Doppler reading as his heart-rate was a little lower than his usual.  Typically after the OB prods David with the Doppler wand, I can feel him wiggling around and this appointment was no different.  His heart-rate started to rise during the reading so little boy was definitely waking up right then.

From this point on, the appointments will be every two weeks until we shift to meeting once per week.  Baby still measures a week ahead and the OB and I discussed the decision to circumcise, vaccinate and assignment to an LA AFB pediatrician--not a civilian doctor.  Around 35 or 36 weeks I'll have a cervical exam, group B strep test and another ultrasound to determine baby's position.  Dr. Friedman said he would not attempt to flip baby if he's breech as it's only a 50% chance of turning him, which bothers me a bit.  Hopefully this won't be an issue and David will be head-down when he needs to be.

14 October 2017:  Baby Shower for Baby David!  (more pictures to come!)

Saturday was such a blast, guys!  And I feel so fortunate to have such support surrounding Trevor, myself and our little boy.  It's incredible!  YOU GUYS are incredible!

Mom and my maid-of-honor Ashley put on the shower for Trevor and I.  We talked over a few dates in October but ultimately settled on the 14th of October to commemorate my Grandmama's (mom's mom) birthday.  As many of you know, dates hold special meaning for me and so it was an honor to include the memory of my Grandmama during the celebration.

Mom chose Hometown Buffet in Torrance as the venue and I'll be honest, at first I hated the idea!  We debated locations and it caused unnecessary tension in our relationship so I relinquished.   Quite honestly, the venue never mattered--I just wanted to have a good time with everyone and do the Indiana-Jones theme justice!  And we definitely accomplished that.

Chocolatey goodness!

My one regret is not getting more to eat--we were at a buffet after-all!  Somehow the time slipped away and I only had one plate full of food and one dessert.  Mom made chocolate hats to look like Indiana's fedora and placed them on several desserts for folks to enjoy.  Music from the 90's aired in the background as we played the Price Is Right (Baby Edition), Animal-Baby Matching, the Left-Right Game, What's Inside Your Purse?, and a few guessing games (size of my belly, how many socks and pacifiers were in a jar).   Mom generously gave $5 giftcards to the winner of each game and took time out of her busy workweek to go to different places so each gift card location was unique.

My brother-in-law Dustin donning the Indy hat

Marilyn, a family friend, made a stunning flower headdress for me to wear that matched my dress!  She also created an Indiana-Jones-esk banner to welcome Baby Coles!  We had burlap, lace and mason jars everywhere and large gold balloons that spelled "BABY" over the head table.  My mom's hilarious friend Cindy entertained us while she MC'd the event and I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

Before I knew it I was opening gifts and man, I felt a little misplaced at first.  During our Colorado Baby Shower, Trevor and I opened gifts together and we took our time because we had a small gathering of friends surrounding us.  This time I sat by myself with 35+ people around and I rushed through it because there were a ton of gifts to open and the evening was ending soon.  I'm overwhelmed with all of the sweet, thoughtful gifts we received.  It's a joy to have relationships with others who are genuinely excited over Trevor and I becoming parents and my mommy becoming a Grandmama.

After I opened all of the gifts I stood up to thank everyone for coming and celebrating our little boy with us.  The crowd of guests clapped as I finished speaking so I reached for my mom's surprise gift and announced I had a little present for the Grandmama as well.  She was shocked!  She kept repeating "You're not supposed to do this!" but she ought to know by now, I do what I want!  ;)

Tears welled up in her eyes as she read the handmade card which caused me to fight back tears of my own.  I glued a copy of one of David's first ultrasound pictures to the inside of the card and I tried my best to describe in words how incredibly important and special my mom is to me--and how lucky our son is to have her as his Grandmama.

A friend of hers pointed out that I left her speechless so I'm guessing the words I picked did the trick!

We gifted her a Grandmother's Journal so she can share all about herself, her life and her family heritage.  A book like this will surely be a keepsake for our family as my mom has an incredible story to share!  Along with the book we gave her a custom-made onesie which reads "Grandmama's Little Cubby" with the Chicago Cubs logo on it--her favorite baseball team.  And lastly, I found a onesie commemorating last year's championship win.  After the baby wears both onesies she says she wants to frame them, haha.

All-in-all, it was a great day.  Thanks to everyone who joined us!  It was made even more special because you were there.  And Ashley, thank you for ALL of your hard work!  From maid-of-honor to auntie-of-honor!  ;)

Everyone's favorite Trevor joining us during the baby shower!

Week-in-Review Photos

Washed baby's clothes for the VERY first time this week!

Baby Shower Prep:  Beth decorating signs

My favorite sign. <3  Thanks to everyone who filled out a card!

Baby Shower Prep:  Making a Belly-Progression Board!

After the shower, my girlfriends and I walked around Manhattan Beach and found this Halloween gem.

Found my canvas for handmade ornaments.

Books from daddy!  The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Quackers, and a few others!

Week 32 Updates

1.  Size of the baby?  Baby measures 16.7" long and weighs 3.8lbs, about the size of a squash!

2.  What's developing this week?

3.  Current weight? 140.  -1lb; last week.  +23lbs; pre-pregnancy.

4.  Movement?  Movin' and groovin.  Clicking/popping sound still ongoing.  Here's an example of what it sounds like although the sound from my belly is not as loud.

5.  Sleep?  Piriformis pain on and off again.  I'll be seeing a new PT this Wednesday.

6.  Symptoms?   

• Shortness of breath when standing for too long.
• Stress.  Stressed about family issues has occasionally caused stress over baby's well-being.
• Peeing frequently.  
• Brain fog.
• Occasional fatigue.
• Lower-back pain.
• Clicking/popping sound from belly that I hate.
• Waddling; I can feel myself waddling a bit at times...

7.  Cravings and Aversions?  Subway sandwiches that I can't have.

8.  Best moment this week?   Seeing my mom's face as she opened her card at the baby shower.

9.  Prayer requests? 

• Please pray that God would provide support for me during childbirth through his Holy Spirit and through those surrounding me.  
• Also that Trevor would feel involved during the birth; as much as possible, that is.
• Please pray in these last few weeks that my body would continue to stretch and strengthen as I prepare for labor.

10.  What are you looking forward to for next week?  PT on Wednesday, I suppose.  Organizing baby room, diaper bag, etc.  And hopefully sending off a box to Trevor now that my focus is not on completing tasks for the baby shower.

Week 32 Photos

Feeling big but I still get told I look tiny for how far along I am.