It's so hard to say goodbye...

Well, the time has come for me to finish up my story here on Bloomin' Babies. I cant believe how far Mr. Worry Bud & I have come since I started this blog back in August 2009 - from my very first post where I discussed what brought me to blogging about our journey. I think even at the beginning of our journey, I had an inkling that we would require assistance to get pregnant, but I never had a clue that would include a path through infertility & IVF. I thought for sure that our issue getting pregnant was related to my ridiculously short LP & then, after several failed & very short cycles, we went to see an RE for a consult; and of course, that very cycle my LP miraculously lengthened to an almost normal number of days. I thought for sure that with some help getting my LP lengthened, that we'd get pregnant. Then, we got some of the most devastating news of our young, married lives when we received Mr. WB's S/A results. And after lots of discussions between our RE, Mr. WB & I, we decided to go straight to IVF with ICSI. Naively, I'd always thought IVF was something that people I read about in magazines & saw on TV did. Never in a million years did I think Mr. WB & I would find out what the process was like first hand, but I guess that goes to show you that the story you dream up for your life doesn't always happen as you think it will.

Our IVF cycle (specifically the monitoring portion) happened to fall during one of the worst winters in my area in years, but we got through it & I was responding so well that we made it to my egg retrieval earlier than my RE originally expected. But, when I got my extremely disappointing fert report, I was really down about our chances of success. The support I got from this blog & on the message boards I frequented during that time meant so much to me & helped me to remain optimistic...and amazingly, we made it to a 5 day transfer of two beautiful embies!

I don't think I was ever so nervous as I was during that 2ww, but I made it pretty far without POAS until I started spotting at 8dp5dt & I almost broke down, but decided to POAS anyways & to my very pleasant surprise, I got a very strong BFP!!!!

And from that point, I POAS every day until I got my first, very strong beta of 519 - wooo! After a few subsequent strong betas, we had our early ultrasounds with my RE & got a chance to see our precious Baby WB developing normally:

Everything was going well with the pregnancy, so my RE eventually released me to the care of my OB. At my 12 week routine appointment, they could not find Baby WB's heartbeat, so I was sent for an emergency f/u ultrasound, where we learned everything with our beautiful LO was just fine (& as a bonus, we got an extra peak at the LO that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise). :)

Thankfully, my pregnancy was pretty uneventful from that point on & we just excitedly awaited the arrival of our precious baby. We found out in May that we were having a little girl & I began my baby buying obsession! From then on, I updated you guys on her progress every two weeks or so until I was 36 weeks & my water broke unexpectedly. And about 14 hours later, our precious little girl arrived (& I later shared her full birth story with all of you) - a little small, with high billirubin (causes jaundice) levels & she had trouble maintaining her body temperature at first, but overall pretty perfect if I do say so myself ::winks::!

And with that, we began the journey into finding out what parenthood is all about. And I must say, it is the both the hardest & best job I could have ever asked for. We are so in love with our precious little girl & despite all the bumps & bruises {literally} to get to where we are now, she was worth everything we went through. She is truly a blessing from God & our pride & joy!

And from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all of the Bloomin' Babies readers & Buds who prayed for, thought of & cheered us on as we went through this amazing & scary journey to parenthood. Please continue to send thoughts & prayers for our new family's continued health, happiness & safety. I'll still be around as the administrator of the blog & of course, as a reader, but my time blogging as Worry Bud has now come to an end. If you'd like to follow Baby WB's progress & our journey as a family on my personal blog, please email me at worrybud{at}gmail{dot}com & I'll send you the link so you can follow me!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I never thought we'd travel the path we did to have our first child, but I think it's truly a testament that sometimes things that are seemingly hopeless, are possible with faith, love & lots of support {medically & from friends & family}. I would like to send lots of prayers & thoughts to those of you still on the journey of IF, TTC & pregnancy...I think about each of you every day. And with that I must sign off as Worry Bud for the last time because Baby WB is starting to wake up from her nap! Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year to each of you!

What I learned being KU - the 3rd tri edition!

Wow this took me much longer to get around to posting than I expected - sorry about that. Baby Worry Bud is definitely keeping us busy, but despite how busy I've been, I was determined to post this list because it's so fun! Now that my time blogging as a Bud (I'll still be around as the blog administrator) is coming to an end (I have 1 more final/goodbye post in me), I'm hoping another Bud will take this "What I Learned" series over & carry on this BB tradition started by the awesome Glow Bud! Anywho, here goes...

• There is a good reason people tell you not to buy too many blankets & clothes for the baby beforehand - you end up getting lots of that stuff as gifts from friends & family as well lots of hand-me-downs from your friends that have had babies before you. If you buy lots on your own, you'll end up with a clothing mountain in the nursery! (Photo Credit)
• Wearing 3+ inch heels for over an hour standing up is most definitely NOT a good idea. *Back story - one of my BFFs got married when I was like 6.5 months pregnant & she is really into heels, so she selected these cute, but awfully high strappy heels for all the bridesmaids to wear. Well, I thought I'd be okay since most wedding ceremonies are pretty short. Well, no...her ceremony was an inter-faith ceremony where they tried to incorporate traditions from both cultures & well, it was L-O-N-G. And long story short, my feet & cankles ankles were not happy!
• Being 7+ months pregnant is not conducive to try & rush doing anything.

• Try to get as much baby stuff done as early as possible because once you start getting big, it's hard to accomplish even the smallest tasks, especially cleaning around the house. (Photo Credit)
•  Don't even attempt to walk any sort of distance outside in the 90+ degree heat & humidity...it's nearly impossible to cool down.
• The nursery is PERFECT...really, it is!

• If you plan to get a 3D u/s don't wait to do it too late - we did mine at 30 weeks & the baby was so squished up in there that it was pretty difficult to get good pics & we only got about 2...and that was on the 2nd try!
• Maternity dresses make you look 10x bigger than you actually are, but they are so comfy!
• Baby lodged under your ribs = extremely painful & uncomfortable!
• Don't believe everything you read about going into labor - you don't have to lose your mucous plug or have a bloody show first...my water just broke out of the blue!

And that's all I got for the 3rd Tri Edition of What I Learned being KU! Hope you enjoyed reading & maybe even learned a little something! I'll be back soon with my final Bloomin' Babies post as Worry Bud & although I know Baby WB will keep me busy enough, I'll still miss sharing our adventures here on BB - more on that in my next post. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving & wishing everyone a safe & happy weekend!

So this is what happens when you make plans...my birth story

I had so many plans. Plans to have final lunch dates with girlfriends & co-workers. Plans to do some final baby shopping & some final tidying up around the house. Plans to enjoy the final few weeks of my pregnancy with Mr. Worry Bud. Plans to attend a close friend's bachlorette party on October 16th (they went on a wine tour earlier in the day & were gonna do pizza & movies at the bride's house, so I was gonna attend that part). We also had a final baby shower being thrown for us by Mr. WB's co-workers on October 21st. And I even volunteered to act as team leader for my boss who is going out of town for the last couple of weeks in October...we had just talked about it on the morning of Wednesday, October 13th & he asked if I was sure since the time I was volunteering to act on his behalf was only literally days from my due date. I was SO sure I told him..."there's no way Baby Worry Bud is coming before the end of October," I said. And that very same night my water broke & the next day, our little girl arrived!

Now that I've been a mommy for a little over 2 weeks now & things are starting to settle down just a little bit, I decided to finally sit down & write out my full birth story. This is gonna be LONG & very detailed {meaning TMI, reader discretion is advised} because I want to have the whole thing documented for me to be able to come back & read later on, so bear with me.

I went to work on October 13th & everything seemed normal enough. I was 36 weeks & 4 days pregnant...Mr. WB & I had started carpooling so just in case I went into labor at work, then Mr. WB would be able to pick me up & drive me to our hospital. But that day, I rode the metro (my area's local public transit rail - my job subsidizes the cost of it) because Mr. WB stayed home to telework (I switched my telework day that week due to a mandatory meeting). Now if you aren't from the a highly populated city, then it's important for me to note that everyone walks FAST to get on & off the trains and up & down the escalators, etc. So I got a decent amount of exercise in that day because I power walked in the morning & afternoon while commuting...not sure if that is important to my story or not, just my hypothesis, LOL. Anywho, I had a normal day at work, no real contractions to speak of. I had been having a couple of Braxton Hicks contractions the weekend before & that day as well. Not enough to be alarmed or call the doctor or anything, maybe 3-4 a day since the previous Saturday. I got home at my normal time - around 6pm & changed into more comfortable clothes. It was a really nice evening, so we planned to grill some pork chops that night. Mr. WB was out on the deck getting the grill ready & I was relaxing on the couch in my normal spot. :) Then, as I was watching TV, waiting to get started cooking, I felt this pop & gush around 6:45pm'ish. And I immediately stood up to get off the couch. I hadn't sneezed or coughed or anything, but I was in denial that my water had broke, so I just figured I lost control of my bladder randomly for some odd reason. Well, that was NOT the case at all!

I went to our powder room to try & pee & just see if that's what was going on. I said to Mr. WB, "The weirdest thing just happened to me..." He said, "What?" And I said, "I think my water just broke." Then he said, "Stop playing!!?!" So I told him I wasn't kidding & I made him come in the bathroom to check where the "water" was coming from (I had peed & then when I was done the gushing had not stopped - it would gush then stop, then gush again & I could feel that it wasn't coming from the same place pee comes from, haha). He checked & said, "Ummm, yeah that's definitely not pee!" So then he started getting excited & frantic at the same time, saying let's go to the hospital...NOW! I told him to calm down & then I remembered what my OB said at my 36 week appointment - she said if 1 of 3 things happened, then to call the Dr.'s office before heading to the hospital. One of those 3 things was my water breaking, so I had him call my OB instead while I cleaned up in the bathroom & then I put on a heavy pad & went upstairs to finish packing my bag for the hospital. I had never finished doing it! I planned to finish it during the upcoming weekend, but clearly that was too late! It was after office hours, so we left a voice mail for my Dr. & finished throwing stuff in my bag while waiting on the Dr. to call back. The baby's bag was packed already at least. :)  It's important to note here for all you other 1st time moms, I had NEVER lost my mucus plug or had a bloody show that I read so much about while pregnant.  My water just broke while I was resting on the couch with no warning. I did notice a light amount of blood on my pad that I changed once more before heading to the hospital, but otherwise, I didn't have any of the other labor warning signs. When my Dr. called back, she asked me a bunch of questions to try & ascertain if my water had broken & she agreed that it probably had, so she told me to come to the hospital to get checked out - not to rush because it was not an emergency since we had 24 hours to deliver the baby after my water broke to prevent infection.   So Mr. WB walked the dog & I put some food down for him. We got everything together, Mr. WB packed up my SUV & we headed out. I wish I had eaten something because once I got to the hospital, they didn't allow me to eat ANYTHING but ice chips. And I was SO hungry after a while.

On the way to the hospital I called my sister, dad, mom, Mr. WB called his mom & I texted a few close friends to let them know what was going on. I'll never forget that car ride. I think I was still in denial that it was happening right then. Mr. WB & I talked about how we felt about the baby coming so soon - excited, nervous, scared, happy...just a flood of a lot of emotions. So we got to the hospital & went up to labor & delivery (L&D) & they were ready for me because my Dr. had already told them I'd be coming in. They put me in a triage room (which was empty) to check me in, ask me some questions & I think the original plan was to do a test to ensure my water had, in fact, broken, but all the nurse checking me in did was take one look & she knew that it had. I wasn't in triage for long - they moved me to my labor, delivery & recovery (LDR) room shortly after (around 8:30pm), which was big & spacious. My Dr. came in shortly after to check in on me & we discussed my wishes during the birth. I told her I wanted an epidural, but not until I was at least 4-5 cm dilated. She checked my cervix & I was only 1 cm dialated, and since I wasn't really having any good contractions on my own, she said she wanted to give me a low dose of pitocin to see if it would help me progress.

The pitocin started working & it was rough - I mean ROUGH! Like the worst pain I ever remember feeling in my life. I was literally loosing my effing MIND. When I was about 2-3 cm dilated, I asked for a narcotic pain killer to help me manage the pain for a while longer before asking for the epidural. I was scared the epidural would slow down my labor, so I tried to wait it out. The pain killer they gave me in my IV (forgot the name) helped for like a minute, lol. It made me feel nice...between contractions, which were coming about every 5-7 minutes or so at this point, so I took little cat naps between them. The pain killer didn't work for long though. My contractions started to get more & more painful & closer together. I'm talking nobody touch me, grabbing on the bed rails, shaking all over, moaning in agony pain. When my Dr. came to check me again, I was close to 4 cm dilated & she asked if she could talk me into the epidural now & I said YES PLEASE. I had previously told Mr. WB not to let me get a epidural until I was at least 4-5 cm, so he innocently reminded me about that & I told him I literally didn't care what I said before, I needed this epidural! So the Dr. ordered it & it took the anesthesiologist an hour & a half to get to me. Apparently it was a really busy night for births, but sheesh I thought I was gonna loose my mind waiting on him! I was having contractions so closely together - about 1.5-2 minutes apart, so they kept coming while the anesthesiologist was placing the epi. I had to stay SO still, which was hard with all the pain I was in. Anywho, I got my epi around 4am & could only feel it in my right side at first & I thought I was gonna be one of those people you read about that still feel labor in one side after getting the epi. But my nurse told me to lay on my left side for a little while & see if that helped...it did, thank goodness. :)

It took about 10-15 minutes for the full effect of the epi to kick in, then I was all good. Numb from the waist down, so I didn't feel much by way of contractions after that. It was so nice to get a break from those contractions, whew. After that I went to sleep for a couple of hours & woke up around 6:30 am or so. My {new} nurse (they had changed shifts in the middle of the night) checked me & I was 9 cm! She called my Dr. who came in & told me that I'd probably start pushing in about an hour or two, so she told me to call my mom & sister, who were going to be in the room while I was pushing. I called them both & told them when to be at the hospital. By 7:30 am my sister had arrived, but my mother decided to go run an errand before coming to the hospital, lol. Just like my mom!! Ugh. Well by that time I could literally feel the baby's head on my pelvic bone. I told the nurse that I felt like her head was about to literally fall out of me, so she checked me & she was like "oh yeah, she's right there & your 10 cm, 100% effaced!" So she called my Dr. & told me to do a practice push, which I did & she told me to stop & not to push anymore until my Dr. arrived. She said that the baby was right there & ready to come with just a few pushes. By the time my Dr. arrived my mom was STILL not there, so she asked if I wanted to wait for her. My sister had just called to see where she was & she said she was turning into the hospital campus, so I said that I didn't want to wait any longer. I figured by the time she got there the baby wouldn't be out anyways. After a few pushes {about 5 min.}, my mom finally arrived & by that time I had gotten the hang of pushing. I pushed for maybe 10 more minutes for 10 seconds each time & she slid right out @ 8:10 am! They laid her right on my tummy & Mr. WB cut the umbilical cord. I cuddled her for a few seconds until they took her over to get cleaned up, measured, weighed, etc. She was so beautiful & cried right away! She got APGARs of 8 & then 9 & weighed in at 4 pounds 13 ounces & was 17.5 inches long. A teeny tiny little miracle - our sweet little baby girl!

And while they worked on her, my Dr. delivered the placenta, which I asked to see - [TMI ALERT] looked kinda like a redish purplish octopus, and sewed me up - I had a minor tear. The placenta was sorta gross & amazing all at the same time...my child had received everything she needed from me through that thing while growing away inside of me? The miracle of childbirth & God. Simply amazing.

After I got all cleaned up, my dad & little sister came by to visit & see the babe before I was moved to my post-partum room. And that's my birth story!

Although she was small & technically pre-term, she was really healthy, but had a little trouble maintaining a normal body temp & she had some jaundice. Due to her bilirubin levels/jaundice, she had to stay in the hospital one additional day for photo-therapy, which was scary for me & made me sad, but was best for her in the end. And I think it looked much worse than it actually was - I think she liked the warm lights & she did excellent sleeping under them:

 My poor baby! It looks worse than it was, she was pretty calm under the lamps (the nurse told me it was 85 degrees & comfy under the lights). It's just scary seeing your 3 day old baby with those "sunshades" on in that big incubator.

We are still adjusting to being parents & caring for a newborn is much more hectic than we both expected, but we are loving every minute of it! I am not saying goodbye just yet though, I still have a couple more posts in me - one of which will be What I learned being KU... the 3rd Tri Edition!

And for kicks, here are my final two sets of bump shots @ 35 & 36 weeks (in chronological order):

Baby Worry Bud is here!!

And we are so in love with our precious little miracle...more deets, pics & a full birth story coming soon! We are both doing well. Without further adieu, meet Baby WB:

Born Thursday, October 14, 2010 @ 8:10 AM

4 lbs. 13 oz, 17.5 inches

Baby WB is on the way!!!

My water broke around 6:45pm EST tonght & I was admitted to the hospital about an hour later. I am 36w4d - please send T&P and good vibes that all continues to go well & that we both have a healthy & safe L&D! We are both doing well so far. Thanks sooo much for following me thru this incredble journey...will update more when I can. :o) xoxo

33-34 weeks & lots of updates!

Well I've made it through the busiest time of year at my job & now I'll have much more time to get ready for Baby Worry Bud to arrive, which also means being a little quicker with my updates! So since I have been so crazy busy, I'm going to apologize in advance that this may be a bit lengthy as I fill you in on the last couple of weeks. I hit 34 weeks pregnant this past Saturday & am so thrilled to have made it this far. As usual, I can't believe how quickly time is flying & that my EDD is only 6 (almost 5) weeks away. Today is the last day of September, then it's October & she's due November 6th, so she's literally due like next month!

Our "main" baby shower (being hosted by my sister & close friends) is this Saturday & my work shower is next Tuesday, so I am excited to see all the cute stuff little Baby WB receives! Speaking of showers, Mr. WB's mom threw us a lovely first baby shower on September 18th & we got some really cute stuff off of our registry, like:

This adorable Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights activity & tummy time mat!

This cute Carter's bouncer & mini Eddie Bauer "man" diaper bag for Mr. WB:

And lots & lots more from clothes to bottle drying racks to bottle warmers to blankets & everything in between! His mom, aunts & cousin did such a wonderful job with our shower - it was much much more than I ever expected, which was just a small family thing! We had a great time & loved all of the cute stuff we got for Baby WB!

In recent baby buying obsession news, I also bought a few more things over the past couple of weeks...so bad, I know, I know - but I can't HELP it! Here's what I got:

I had planned on purchasing a first year frame for the nursery photo wall & finally found one that was reasonably priced that I loved on Amazon. Now we have all the frames we need for her wall, so hopefully I can talk Mr. WB into putting them up this weekend so we can mark it off our to do list.

I hadn't planned on buying any "going home" baby outfits or any special outfits other than the first onesie we got from Target before we even knew that Baby WB was a girl. But then Obsessive Bud showed me pics of of little Olivia at the hospital & I saw that adorable matching gown & beanie outfit on from Etsy seller Addie Kakes Kreations & I just HAD to have one too (sorry for being a copier Mrs. OB, but it was too adorable to pass up)! So I got this one (in white & Baby WB's name of course, but the design/colors are all the same otherwise):

My little sister is going to take pics of us with the baby the day after she's born when she comes to visit us in the hospital & our little girl is gonna look so ADORABLE in her personalized cap & gown! I can hardly wait to get it!

I also had a 20% off Hallmark coupon, so today I bout the babe a cute memory book to record some memories from her first year with us. I feel like I may be going a teeny bit overboard, but hey...it's our first behbeh, so I'm excited! ;oP

According to Baby Center, Baby WB is the size of a cantaloupe this week. She is about 4 3/4 pounds & 18 inches long! She's getting plump in there -  her fat layers are filling out more & her lungs are continuing to mature. When I got my weekly Baby Center email this week about the baby's development, it actually made me breathe a huge sigh of relief because it said that babies born between 34-37 weeks that have no other health problems generally do just fine. Not that I want her born any time before 37 weeks (or before the end of October for that matter), but still, good to know.

I can't believe the miracle of babies growing inside of women - it'll be even more real when she gets here, but sometimes I sit & think about how wonderfully awesome it is that I have another human being growing inside of me! It's also becoming so real that she'll be here soon...like SO real. I'm starting to get a little nervous - excited, but still nervous at all the changes our relationship, family & life in general are about to go through! As far as I go, I'm doing okay - very tired/achy by the end of the day & I can't breathe all that well, so I'm breathing really heavy when I walk short distances or talk too fast. I've also been getting pretty daily, beautiful cankles since last week. My Dr. assures me this is normal & advised that I just rest with my feet up at the end of the day, which normally does the trick, so by the next morning, my ankles are back! I'm also getting up to pee in the middle of the night much more often, which makes me even more exhausted when it's time to get up for work. Speaking of work...I got my final maternity leave schedule okay'ed by both of my bosses this week, woot! So the plan is that my last day in the office is October 29th - exactly a month from yesterday, woo! Then, I'll telework November 1st - 4th & take my normal Friday off on November 5th. I'm due November 6th, which is a Saturday. Then I'm off using a combo of holiday, sick, annual & comp time leave from November 8th until January 29th. I absolutely cannot wait to not have to worry about work for THREE months & am so blessed to have such a flexible job that I am able to take off that long! I figure even if I go past my due date, I'll just go ahead & start my leave anyways because I'll likely get induced the week after my due date. Hopefully I won't need to worry about that, but I'm not against it if I don't go into labor on my own either.

We had our 34 week appointment last Friday, the second to last bi-weekly appointment. We have one more next Friday, then I start seeing my OB once a week! This appointment was a normal one - peed in a cup, they checked my weight & blood pressure & the Dr. listened to the babe's heartbeat with the Doppler - 158 bpm if I remember correctly. I think they said I will get the order to do the Group B Strep test at my next appointment. And finally...here's my 33 & 34 week bump shots, I think she's definitely getting bigger in there:

33 weeks:

34 weeks:

That's all I got for now! Time is quickly winding down & soon I'll be introducing Baby WB to all of you!

31-32 weeks - our little squash!

OMG, as usual I can't believe how quickly time is flying & how close we are to meeting our little miracle in person! We have been hard at work knocking out some of the major things on the Baby Worry Bud to do list I made up, which is quite extensive, lol. I am super DUPER excited about everything coming up over the next couple of weeks - this week we have our maternity hospital tour on Thursday & our Baby WB shower #1 is this Saturday in Mr. WB's hometown (being hosted by my MIL)! I am so excited! We spoke to his mom the other day & she told us about 20 people should be there - probably some we (or at least I) don't even know, but it'll be so much fun opening all her cute gifts & seeing everyone! We are leaving on Saturday since I have to work on Friday (& can't really use leave right now until the babe arrives or closer to my due date), and we'll come back early Sunday!

Speaking of MR. WB's fam - we had a talk about how visiting would go when the baby arrives & he is going to ask his mom what her plans are this weekend. The problem is - we only have two bedrooms in our little townhouse - ours & the baby's. Our dog other child sleeps in our room on the floor (he has comfy bed on the floor), on Mr. WB's side of the bed. We have a futon that can convert to a full size bed in the basement, but besides that, we don't have any room for many people to stay. I also don't really want a lot of people staying over - his mom is a definite since I'm sure she'll wanna be around her only grandchild when she arrives for a few days before she has to go back home for work, but besides that...I really want us to have our family time to adjust to our new life with the baby. It'll be an adjustment for all of us - me, Mr. WB & the dog & I guess I just don't want the added stress of feeling like I have to host guests - do you know what I mean? At the same time, his family lives hours away & mine is right around the corner, so they can just come over & visit whenever. And my parents & sisters & brother will all be able to see the little one MUCH more often than his family. I can see how he  feels about that, but we live where we live & work where we work, so there's not much I can do about it. He understands, but I think he just wants me to understand as well. And I do, but that doesn't change the way I feel about a lot of people staying over our house literally RIGHT after we come home with the baby. Did/do any of you have to deal with a similar situation? How did you handle that? I want to be fair - I love him & his family & want him this to be a very happy time for us, not a stressful one. Le sigh.

In other news, my baby buying obsession has picked up again over the past couple of weeks. :o/ I couldn't help it! I just happened across lots of cute stuff @ great prices recently, so I got:

This cute little personalized pumpkin beanie (since she'll be a fall be beh) from Etsy Seller cherylengelstad.

And these...

 

A cute & very functional diaper caddy & Boppy cover from Target.They were both on my Target registry & I know it's bad to buy stuff of the registry before your shower(s), but they were both on sale for a great price (more than the discount will be for the completion of the registry) & both were online only items (thus less likely to be purchased as gifts), so I went for it!

And finally:

This cute baby sling, leg warmers & bracelet gift set from Seven Everyday Slings (the makers of Udder Covers). IDK if I'll actually use the bracelet {probably not}, but the sling & leg warmers are adorable! You can use the sling from infant to 6+ months & I got a one-time use coupon code for a FREE sling (a $39.99 value), so all I had to pay for was the difference between the sling alone & the gift set + shipping. You know I can't resist free stuff, so I went for it too!

That should be it for my buying stuff for awhile. I think her showers over the next couple of weeks will satisfy my fix for a bit, so I should be good until she arrives, minus the stuff we may still have to purchase that we need if we do not receive them as gifts.

According to The Bump, baby girl is the size of a squash & is about 3.75 lbs. & 16.7 inches. My ute is pushing up near my diaphragm & crowding my stomach, which can lead to shortness of breath & heartburn. All of that is definitely happening to me - it's not extremely unbearable, but not fun either. Baby Center says that I can help myself out with these symptoms by sleeping with pillows propped up & eating smaller meals more often, both of which I have been doing. I'm also normally pretty sore in my feet, legs, hips, sides & lower back by the end of most days & exhausted. Mr. WB is pretty good about helping me out if I need it in the evenings & gives me frequent massages whenever I need them too. Love him. At my 32 week appointment this week, we met the newest Dr. at my OB practice & I actually really like her! I'm so happy I feel comfortable with all four of them, so whoever delivers her, I'll be happy with. I surprisingly have no preference at all. The appointment was pretty routine - peed in a cup, did a weight & blood pressure check & the Dr. met with us briefly & checked the baby's heartbeat with the doppler - a healthy 144 bpm & everything else was normal too. Baby WB is in the head down position & getting plump & prepared for birth, which is just 5-8 weeks away now! She's moving away a lot still - more shifting than kicking, but she still kicks a lot too. Can't believe how close we are...and we can't wait to meet her!

And now on to my 31 & 32 week bump pics. We were originally gonna do some maternity shots this past weekend, but re-scheduled due to semi-crappy weather, so now we are waiting for two weeks since we'll be out of town this weekend. I'm actually kinda happy we are waiting two more weeks for the maternity shots - perhaps the belleh will be a little larger? It's pretty big now, but I figure a bit of a bigger belly couldn't hurt for the pics, right?!

31 weeks:

32 weeks:

I am CRAZY busy at work until late next week, but hopefully I'll have time to pop in & give some updates on our maternity tour & shower this weekend! 

29-30 weeks - 3/4 of the way there!!

Woot - only 7-10 more weeks till Baby Worry Bud gets here!!! I can't believe today is the first day in September! I feel like time is just flying this summer & thank goodness...we have had an extremely HOT summer this year. Of course, the year I'm pregnant over the summer, we get one of the hottest summers on record! Not that I'm complaining - it's just definitely uncomfortable at times! I have tried to reign in my baby buying obsession seeing that we still have four baby showers being thrown in our honor - the one Mr. Worry Bud's family is hosting in his hometown, my main shower in our area/my hometown, plus a work shower at each of our jobs that some co-worker friends are planning to host - we are so blessed! The shower at Mr. WB's office was a big surprise to me, but it's so sweet of them! I can't wait to see all the cute stuff she gets!! I found an awesome maternity dress on sale & decided to get it for my main/big shower, so I ordered it last week:

Photo Credit

According to the Bump, during weeks 29-30 (month 7), the baby is about the size of a squash, or about 15.2 to 16.7 inches and about 2.5 to 3.8 lbs. Although she's already pretty big & cramped in there, her weight will triple by the time her due date rolls around. And she is gaining additional energy due to white fat depositing beneath her skin. And Baby WB is definitely getting a workout in there - exercising by stretching & kicking - it's even beginning to hurt a little now, but nothing her mama can't handle!  I had my 30 week doctor's appointment this past Friday & I met with Dr. P this week. I really like her a lot! She gave me the pre-registration information for the hospital I'm going to be delivering at & she said that I could just turn it in during my hospital tour, which is scheduled for September 9th! She also checked the size of my belly, which is measuring right on track & she checked for the baby's heartbeat, which was a very normal 135-140 bpm. When the Dr. was trying to find the baby's heartbeat, she couldn't at first because the baby was wiggling around so much - she even kicked a few times for the Dr. to see! She is not a shy baby - she kicked/moved for two of my co-worker girlfriends & for my mom last week, haha! At the end of the appointment, I scheduled my next several appointments with my OB's office & it hit me just how close we are to meeting her - we ended up scheduling appointments through the end of my pregnancy! We even scheduled one for the week after my due date just in case. :o/ Hopefully we won't need that one, but we'll see.



I still have been doing pretty good overall, although I can tell that I'm slowing down. My lower back & feet hurt by the end of every day & I get so short of breath doing even the smallest tasks. I have also been getting pretty bad heartburn at the end of the day & I am literally exhausted by the time I get home from work. The problem is - this is the busiest time of year at my job thru the end of September & then I have about one more month until I go out on maternity leave, so I'm sure I'll be busy up until the end. My job is mainly a desk job though, so I'm fine still working, it's just exhausting! Right now I take public transportation to work, but I think sometime this month I'm going to start driving in - I'm sure navigating my area's horrible traffic will suck, but it'll be good for me to have easy access to my car. And I hear that once I start driving in, that I won't wanna go back! We shall see. :o)

To celebrate the 30 week milestone, I thought we'd go for a 3D/4D ultrasound this past weekend, but Baby WB was NOT having it at all! She had her arm up in front of her face the entire time. Urg. She moved for like 2 seconds & we got to see her yawn!! It was seriously SOOOOO adorable. I wish we could have seen more of her cute face, but she was being camera shy, so the 3D place let us re-schedule to try once more & we went in last night & she actually cooperated!! The pics are not the best quality because she is very close to my uterine wall & the lady said you need a good amount of fluid between the wall & baby's face to get really GREAT pics. But these were good enough for me & Mr. WB b/c we got to see our little miracle's cute face:

I think she has her daddy's nose & a my cheeks! Not sure about those lips, but I suspect they may be my dad's!

And now on to my 29 & 30 week bump shots. I still think I'm pretty small in comparison to some other pregnant women I have seen who are as far along as me (maybe it's all in my head?! My mom thinks it is b/c she says I'm "big".), but as long as the Dr. isn't concerned & the little one is doing good, that's all that matters!

29 weeks:

30 weeks:

I can't believe we only have about 2 more months till she arrives...I know time will continue to fly! I'm keeping busy getting my ridiculously long Baby WB to do list done & finishing up the nursery - it's almost done!! Can't wait to meet our little girl!

Random {but awesome} run in!!

This is gonna be a short one.  Just wanted to pop in this morning to tell you guys about a random run in Mr. Worry Bud & I had last night. I wanted to go on a date last night, so Mr. WB ask what I'd like to do...ummm, I'm 29 weeks pregnant, what do you THINK I wanna do?! I wanna freakin' eat. :) So he asked where I wanted to go & I picked my fav Mexican restaurants - I love their chips & salsa (& mojitos, but clearly I wasn't getting one, ha!) & Mr. WB loves their sangrias + the chips/salsa too, so that's where we ended up!! I was standing in line at the host station to put our name down on the wait list (Mr. WB went to park the car) & an older couple walked up beside me to get in line as well. Well guess who it was?!?! My IVF nurse - Jane!! I touched her arm & said her name, she looked over at me puzzled. Then I asked if she remembered me & she immediately did! She gave me a hug, rubbed my belly & introduced me to her husband! We chatted for just a few minutes & then Mr. WB walked into the restaurant. She gave him a hug too & introduced him to her hubby, then we went our separate ways to wait on our tables. Afterwords, I rubbed my belly & told Baby WB that Jane was one of the people that helped bring us to her - our precious daughter! It was so cool seeing her again - makes me miss my RE's office! They were much more personable than my OB's staff, but I like them too - it's just different, lol. All of this reminds me of how truly blessed we are to have come this far & to be so close to meeting our baby girl!

In other news, my 3/4D u/s is scheduled for next Saturday @ 30 weeks, woot. Can't wait to see our little girl again! Hope everyone has an awesome weekend - I'll be back next week with my 29-30 week update & hopefully some good 3D pics of Baby WB!!

27-28 weeks - well hello there 3rd Tri!!

Again, I can't believe how quickly time is flying! I'm close to two weeks into my third & final trimester of this pregnancy! Sometimes I sit & think about just how soon our precious little girl will be here & I both freak out & get giddy with excitement all at the same time! I know I'm technically already a mommy, but it won't seem for real for real till she's actually in our arms...does that make sense? I'm loving being pregnant with our little one though & getting to know her personality. She's all mine for now, but I know that's gonna change the minute she comes out - she already has sooo many people that love her & are so excited to meet her!! This past weekend I got a lot of miscellaneous nursery stuff done. I have gone thru all the clothes & blankets friends have given to us & plan to wash them at some point soon. Her crib skirt just arrived yesterday, so all I have to do is iron it & put it on the crib & her bedding set will be complete!! I ordered the hardware to hang her curtains, but it won't be here until early OCTOBER! So, if I find something else in the mean time, then I'll buy that!

True to form, my baby buying obsession is still in full effect - although, it has calmed down considerably. In the past couple of weeks, I have only bought her just a few things - most of it is nursery related, so that doesn't count. ;op  But one thing I have been wanting badly is a cute little cable knit white hoodie & I found one this week on JCP.com for $12.99! I got it in "polar bear" & 3-6 months, since I already have another cute sweater in 0-3 months. Here it is:

And one reason I triple heart JCP is because they ship SO fast! I already received it & it hasn't even been a week since I ordered! Oh, a cyber friend gave me an online code for 20% off your entire order from Baby Legs (email me for the code at worrybud@gmail.com), so since I have been drooling over baby legs since I first saw them, I decided to head over & check out their selection. BAD idea because I bought 4 pairs (I can only show you a couple b/c the BL site won't work at my job for some odd reason):

I heart them all! I got two in the "lil" size, which is supposed to fit newborns better & 2 in the one size fits all...I'm sure I'll soon get more. :) I'm also on the look out for some faux Uggs for her for cheap, so if you know of a good place to find them, then please let me know!

So, now on to the pregnancy updates! I'm doing well still - enjoying the third trimester overall, but I have been getting more uncomfortable & TIRED as the days pass. I was just telling Mr. Worry Bud that we better get some of our pre-Baby WB to do's done soon because I am feeling my energy quickly drain away. I found out a couple days after taking the test - I passed the glucose tolerance screening, woot! But my iron levels are low, so I have been put on iron supplements...which I keep forgetting to take. :o/ The problem is, I'm supposed to take them opposite of when I take my PNVs, which is a problem since I take them in the evening right before bed. I'm usually in a rush in the morning & completely forget to take the iron pills after my first meal. I have set an alarm on my phone & keep some of the pills in my work bag, so I'm hoping that'll help me to remember now. Everything else was normal though, so I am relieved to have that testing over with.

The weeks seem to just be flying by! I can't believe it's almost September, then really only 2 more full months till the babe arrives! We attended a breastfeeding class last week & I learned a lot & got some good literature to read up on. I have a friend who recently had a little guy & he took to the boob like a champ, so I'm hoping little Baby WB does the same - with minimal hurdles. I have a pretty high pain tolerance threshold, so I'm not so worried about it being painful as I am of the potential complications that can happen to me or to the baby while BF'ing. I'm gonna give it my best try though & if all goes well, I hope to continue as long as possible. I had my last every 4 weeks OB appointment last past Friday (everything looked good - only up 3 lbs since my 24 week appointment & her h/b was 155 bpm) & now am moving to every two weeks...looking forward to hearing her heartbeat every 2 weeks, woo hoo!I also plan to schedule a 3D ultrasound for next week at 30 weeks, so hopefully she'll cooperate & I'll have some good pics to share next time!!

According to The Bump, the baby is the size of an eggplant. Her lungs are maturing & she's putting on more weight now. She's also practicing blinking her eyes, which we will hopefully get to see at the 3D ultrasound! She's about 2 lbs. now & about 14.8 inches, so she's getting pretty big!! And pretty cramped in there I think - she is kicking away more & more every day...and I, of course, love it! So does Mr. WB - he gets to feel her at least once every day now! He thinks it feels like I'm hiccuping, but I told him that's definitely his little one! Some days she just gets into these moods where she just kicks non-stop. And he's just such an awesome daddy already - every night he tucks me & makes sure I'm comfy in my pillow fortress, then he kisses my belly & tells Baby WB how much he loves her! ::dies:: It's so freakin' cute...and I can't WAIT to see him hold his daughter for the first time, I think he'll just melt.

And to end this ridiculously long posts, here are my 27-28 week bump photos - I think I may have possibly finally "popped"?! IDK, but I apparently look pregnant since people give up their seats on the train (I use public transit to get to work) & random people ask when I'm due if we happen to strike up a conversation. Regardless, Dr.  W says I'm measuring perfectly so I suppose that's good enough for me! Oh & still no new belly stretch marks, although I noticed the ones I had on my hips from beforeI got pregnant have gotten a little darker (you can see them a little on to the right of my tummy in my bump pics). Weird right?

 27 weeks

28 weeks

I only have 2 pairs of work pants that fit me & 1 pair of jeans - I am currently in search of some lighter colored maternity full panel jeans, so if you know where I can find some, please please let me know! The lady at Motherhood Maternity said that the lighter ones are being phased out b/c the summer is almost over - is it weird that I still wear them in the fall/winter?! Hahaha. Maybe I'll just buy an even darker pair than the ones I have now & then they won't seem so dark to me?! 

What I learned being KU - the 2nd Tri Edition!

Hey everyone! I'm officially in the 3rd trimester as of this past Saturday, woot! 27 weeks & 2 days today to be exact. I have been excitedly awaiting hitting the 3rd tri so that I could post this because it was so much fun last time {among other reasons}! If you enjoyed my 1st tri edition post, then I'm sure you'll get a few laughs outta this one as well! Here goes...

• All the 1st tri symptoms that you hear about that magically go away once the 2nd tri arrives - it's not all true! The tiredness, itchy/sore boobs still stick around AND they are accompanied by even more exciting side effects like cankles & killer heartburn! :) (Photo Credit)
• The worry is still there - it always is for me. I guess you tend to start worrying about different things, but you are still worried on some level.

• Attempting to clean out your cluttered guest room/office, paint, have nursery furniture delivered/assembled (by Mr. Worry Bud) & have a big BBQ/party ALL in the same week is generally not a good idea. It can result in extended periods of sleep...I'm talking 12+ hours at one time! (Photo Credit)
• Hiring a professional contractor to lay sod in your front & backyard the same week of said BBQ/party instead of trying to DIY have your husband DIY is a GREAT investment!!
• You will change your mind many many times on the perfect nursery set up before you figure out the best/final one. Better to do it in theory {read: on paper/computer or in your head} before you have your husband move it around several times in practice to, you know, "just see how it'll look"! Nursery furniture can be REALLY heavy!

 

• When the belly starts developing it'll still feel squishy when you sit down for a good while. It's not hard right away! (Photo Credit)
• It's definitely NOT a good idea to drink a lot of OJ right before the gender determination u/s (we paid for one to find out a little early). OJ = 1 wiggly baby!!
• The 1st time you know for sure you feel the baby moving is honestly the most AMAZING & exciting thing EVER!!

 

• Try to make sure your bladder is as empty as it can be at all times to avoid the inevitable when you sneeze...embarrassing! :o/ (Photo Credit)
• You can never own too many pillows. I sleep in a certified pillow fortress, lol.
• Once you start getting bigger, try to stick with shoes that you don't have to tie - or ones that you don't have to tie often. Ever seen a pregnant lady tryna bend down to tie her shoes?! Not always a fun thing. 
• Try to control your baby buying addiction by limiting the amount of things you are allowed to purchasee in a week...@ the rate I'm going Baby WB will have a fully stocked nursery & full wardrobe before any of her THREE showers!

• When your pants get too tight, just let 'em go & buy maternity pants...believe me it's worth it, they are MUCH more comfy! And PS - I highly recommend Motherhood Maternity's secret belly fit pants/jeans - they are awesome!! (Photo Credit)
• Even after you think you have everything perfectly planned out for your LO's nursery - you will continue to look for that perfect finishing touch.
• Flip flops can be your BFF if you are pregnant over the summer.

• Invest in some tummy butter/stretch mark cream of some kind - even if it doesn't actually prevent stretch marks, it definitely helps with the itchiness that comes along with your growing belly. I use the Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula for Stretch Marks & just slather it on! (Photo Credit)
• That glucose test drink stuff they give you for your gestational diabetes test really is as NASTY as they say it is...bleh!

And that's all I got for the 2nd Tri Edition of What I Learned being KU! Hope you enjoyed reading! I'll be back next time with my 27-28 week updates...my 1 hour glucose test results, 28 week doctor's appointment {last one before I start going twice a month, woo hoo!!} & *hopefully* even more nursery updates, woo hoo!