Baby Borland Update - Almost 38 Weeks

May 28th, almost 37 weeks

A Ticking Time Bomb. That's what the doctor called me at my appointment Tuesday. Nice, huh??

But really, that's exactly what I feel like. Saturday night, Jeff and I made another trip to labor and delivery due to some very sharp pain in my lower left side. Once we got there, though, the pain seemed to be the least of our worries! Being hooked up to the monitors revealed that Jacob was doing fine, but that my contractions were very consistent. An exam also revealed that I was dilated to 3 cm and 80% effaced. This seemed like a pretty big deal to me since the Monday before I was barely 1 cm and only 50%! When the nurse told me I might be in labor, I immediately started crying. I just wasn't ready!! Jeff, on the other hand, was amazing and supportive through the whole night. I think he's just ready for Jacob to get here!

Tuesday afternoon, my doctor's appointment revealed no more progress. This is where I received my "ticking time bomb" diagnosis. Then, Thursday rolled around and I was convinced I was in labor. I had solid contractions every five minutes or so for almost two hours. I called Jeff and had him come home from work a little early so we could go to Labor & Delivery. An exam showed that I was dilated to a little passed three, which means I had progressed a little, but not very much. After the exam, my contractions became more painful and were coming every three minutes. This lasted for about another hour and a half, then... NOTHING. Out of nowhere, the contractions just slowed down, became less painful, and then STOPPED. Completely stopped. The doctor gave me a sleeping pill (which I DON'T recommend) and sent me home for the night to rest. So... here we are.

So now I am hoping he will either come today, or wait until next Tuesday or Wednesday. The reason being that Jeff has a colonoscopy on Monday. I realize this could be rescheduled if needed, but we just don't want him to be in the middle of his prep on Sunday and then have me go into labor. So pray for Jeff as he prepares for his test, and pray for all of us as we prepare for Jacob's arrival.

Just for fun I've included pictures of some of the fun things we purchased last weekend - our stroller/car seat combo and our pack'n'play : )

The Final Countdown!

One month from today! I can hardly believe it, but (Lord willing) we should meet our son within the next month! I cannot even begin to describe for you how excited/anxious I am. 

Please pray for us as we do our best to prepare for his arrival. Also, please pray for a safe delivery : ) 

Baby Borland Update - 35 Weeks

I realized that I have been updating on things like showers and the progress of the nursery, but have neglected to update on our actual pregnancy.

I am now 35 weeks. Jacob (fingers crossed) should be here within the next five weeks. He is due one month from tomorrow! I can hardly believe it. Yes, it has been challenging, but in so many ways it seems like just last week that I found out God had blessed us with a baby. And now, here we are!

The past three weeks have provided two Friday night trips to the hospital. The first turned out to be bladder stones (I will spare you the details, and trust me, you'll be thankful), the second turned out to be nothing but a very swollen foot. Last Friday I came home from school and propped my feet up in the recliner. This is what I saw:

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. I had a very fat left foot. My other foot was slightly swollen, but nothing worse than usual and my hands were not swollen at all. I propped it up for about an hour, but the swelling did not seem to be going down at all. I finally broke down and called the on call number. Luckily, my doctor was the one on call. She said that it was probably nothing, but wanted me to go in and have an ultrasound done on my leg just to make sure that it was not a blood clot. Thankfully, it was not. I went home that night and propped it up for hours, but nothing made the swelling go down. (Thankfully I have the greatest husband who made me stay down. Praise the Lord I have not had to do bed-rest! I don't think I would take well to it!) When I woke up Saturday morning, most of the swelling was gone and luckily, it has not yet returned. Dr. L said that I could favor that foot more when I am standing, or that an old injury could just make that foot more susceptible to swelling. Who knows?

Speaking of swollen feet - I am so fortunate to be blessed with the world's most amazing guidance counselor, who, after hearing about my swollen foot on facebook, arranged to have someone in my room with me to help circulate during testing. This week my body has not been nearly as tired at the end of the day and the day-to-day swelling I usually have has been drastically reduced. Thank you LeeAnn!

I am now going to the doctor weekly from here on out. As of Monday, I had not yet dilated or effaced. This is good news as 1.) I would really, really like to make it through the school year! and 2.) I want his little lungs and everything else to be in the best shape possible. After June 1st, Jacob can come anytime he is good and ready!!

Please continue to pray for every member of our family : )

Birth Record

I posted a few choices for Jacob's birth record here. My friend, Rebecca saw them and then recommended this one. I fell in love on the spot and this one matches his room a little better than the others. I ordered it this morning! Thanks Rebecca!

Georgetown Shower

Well, we were an hour late and I'm surprise we didn't need an ark to get there, but Paula and I finally made it to Georgetown on Sunday, May 2nd for my second baby shower. Thankfully, this one was mainly family and church friends who might as well be family, so they didn't mind waiting on me so much. My mom did an awesome job with the food (barbeque and such!) so at least everyone had something to eat while they waited. It also helped that Timothy and Katie got to come and brought my beautiful new nephew, Isaac, who, as you can imagine, kept everyone occupied. : ) 

It was so great to spend time with so many friends and family that I do not get to see nearly as often as I would like. And Jacob certainly got some nice presents! We especially appreciate all of the diapers and wipes!

Pictures to follow when I get them from my sister... 

Nursery Letters

The beautiful ladies of Kindergarten made our nursery letters for us and they turned out A-MAZING!! I love, love, love them and cannot wait to see what they look like on the wall. These ladies are so stinkin' creative it makes me sick. They took Jacob's quilt and made them match exactly. My nursery letters would have been nothing more than stick people if it had been up to me to make them. Jacob is so lucky to have such talented people in his life!

3D/4D Ultrasound - 32 Weeks

Here are some beautiful pictures of our 3D/4D Ultrasound. At first I was hesitant to have one of these. It is best if you wait until 28-32 weeks to have one of these done because the baby needs to have some fat on them. And I kind of figured that if I could wait that long, I kind of wanted to wait the extra time and just be surprised at what he looked like when he got here. (Even though I know I will still be so surprised no matter what!) But then my super-awesome in-laws offered it to us as a gift. I still wasn't completely on board until Jeff reminded me that this would be a good opportunity to make sure everything was still okay and to let us know if there was anything we needed to prepare for. (I sometimes forget how smart the man I married is!)

So Saturday after my shower, we headed off to have the ultrasound done. Here are some highlights:

• Jeff, his mom, his dad, my mom, and my sister all got to be there! They project it up onto a big screen and it is so neat!
  
• Our boy is still a boy and is estimated to be a healthy 4 pounds 3 ounces!! No wonder my back hurts!
• He has his daddy's nose. : ) 
• He has the cutest little lips.
• We got to see him yawn and suck on his hand.
• His adorable little foot was next to his face - he's starting to get super squished in there!
• He already has a little bit of hair. 
• He got upset with us and started throwing his head backward into my hip - his first witnessed temper tantrum. 
• The lady who did it was awesome! I would recommend PreciousView to anyone in and around the Bowling Green area!

BG "Misfit" Shower

This weekend we had our first baby shower, given by my good friends Jenny and Tiffany, along with Paula, Jeff's mom. Tiffany playfully coined this my "misfit" shower since it was for the people in Bowling Green who love me, but do not fit into any other "shower group." The shower was awesome and so much fun! I wish I had taken some more pictures of the food since it was A-mazing and the cake since it was too cute! (Jenny - pretty sure when Jacob gets here and I start to have (more) mental breakdowns, I'm gonna want some of that Chocolate Chip Cheeseball to help get me through!) Anyway, it was great to get together with people who love and care for me and my growing family. Check out some pics...

Lots of fun books from Amanda!

Hysterical onesie from Brooke. Auntie Brooke and Auntie Andrea have a war going on as to who will be Jacob's favorite. The back says "Sorry Auntie Andrea."

With Aunt Heather : )

Birth Record Choices

Jacob's room is being done in kind of a baby animals theme, so the first one really doesn't match too closely with the theme, but that's not extremely important. I think the second one is really cute, but I really like the colors in the third one. Are any too girly??? Any comments???

How Was I Supposed to Know??

WARNING - This post may prove to be TMI!

I know I posted yesterday that my doctor's appointment was pretty uneventful, however, that turned out to be untrue. I did mention something to my doctor that I did not mention to the entire blog world...

During my frequent trips to the bathroom, I've noticed some pretty weird color changes lately. I mean, I drink sooo much water that when I go, it's usually clear and copious (I know you've been dying to know that, right??). So when it is not, I notice. So even though I thought it was silly and that my doctor would just laugh and tell me to drink more water, I decided to mention it. He did tell me to drink more water, but luckily he decided to be cautious and order some tests just in case. 

It is such a good thing that I did not let my feelings of stupidity stand in the way because, lo and behold, I had a urinary tract infection! I have no idea how you can have one without suffering from immense pain, but apparently you can. And actually, I HAD been experiencing some lower stomach and back pain, but I just chalked it up to being pregnant. I mean, how am I supposed to know what is normal for me now and what is not??? 

But the good news is that now that I have had a few doses of antibiotic (which my doc assures me is safe), I can already tell a huge difference!! I am not having near as much pain in my back and don't feel as much pressure in my lower stomach. I also don't feel like I have to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes (no exaggeration - every 10 minutes!). 

So the moral of the story?? Even though I may not really know exactly what is normal and what is not normal for a woman who is 31 weeks pregnant, it is more than okay to trust my instincts when something changes and it is definitely worth mentioning to the doctor, even if it may seem silly at first! 

Baby Borland Update - 31 Weeks

I cannot believe I am 31 weeks along!! Jacob is due 2 months from today! That is so crazy! He could be hear anytime from 7-10 weeks from now!

I am starting to feel that third-semester tiredness. I feel a little sluggish during the day and at night I am usually conked out on the couch by 9:30. My belly is also getting in my way a lot more! Jacob moves a lot and can even nudge me in weird and uncomfortable ways. His favorite place to do this is church, I guess because I am still for so long and in a sitting position. All throughout the sermon Sunday he entertained himself by kneeing his momma in the ribs

Operation Get-Ready-for-Baby is in full swing around Apartment 17. In fact, we just finished a weekend FULL of baby stuff. And this was just a taste of the things to come as our next few weekends are booked with showers and more fun baby stuff.

Saturday we took a four hour birthing class at the hospital. I was really kinda nervous about it! I thought they would make me watch a bunch of horrible videos that I did NOT want to watch and make me feel like a big baby for being scared of labor. Praise the Lord this was not the case at all! The lady who taught the class was really laid back and super sweet. We did watch a few videos and while some did get a little bit graphic, they were nothing compared to the full on birth videos I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I know I have to go through it, but that doesn't mean I want to watch it happening. I thought I would leave the class scared out of my mind, but I actually felt a little bit better about the whole idea when I left. I mean, my body and the baby's body were actually made to do this. And it's gonna happen one way or the other whether I like it or not, so there's really no point in worrying about it any more than necessary. We also had to practice breathing and relaxation techniques. I have the best husband in the world and I would not trade him in for anyone or anything, but let's just say that breathing and relaxation techniques are not his forte.

After our birthing class, we (and by we, I definitely do not mean ME) hauled the baby's dresser over to Jeff's parents' house to work on. Jeff and his dad sanded it down and got it all ready to be primed and painted. Jeff and I went to Lowes and picked out colors. Who knew there were so many shades of red and off-white?? We went with "Quite Red" and "Quail Egg." Sunday the Borland Men primed and painted. It looks great so far, but will need a second coat this weekend and then probably a finish of some kind. Jacob is going to have the best looking dresser around! Pictures to come once it is completely finished!

In between putting the coats on the dresser, Jeff and I went to an Expectant Parent Fair at the hospital. The main reason we wanted to go was because we were supposed to be allowed to tour through labor and delivery and meet some of the staff. Needless to say, we didn't get to. Labor and Delivery, as well as the rooms you recover in after, were all FULL! So no tours for us. We did go around to a lot of tables and pick up some freebies and a lot of information. Hopefully some of it will prove useful. If not, the event will have turned out to be a complete waste of time for us. : /

Monday I had my 31 week appointment. Because my regular doctor had to cancel, I got to meet one of the other doctors in the practice. This was nice since if he is on call, he may be the one that actually delivers our baby. Jacob's heartbeat was solid and strong as ever. : ) My blood pressure was even down from 3 weeks ago! I guess abandoning the salt shaker was good for me after all. I will go back in two weeks this time, at 33 weeks. 

Baby Borland Update - 28 Weeks

At 28 weeks I feel like I am really at the peak of pregnancy. I feel pretty good right now. I feel like a lot of the hard parts are behind me, or ahead of me. Some days I feel awesome, almost like I'm not even pregnant and nothing has changed (almost). Then I have days where I feel very, well pregnant. You know, my back aches, my skin is stretched, I can barely move, and I am Exhausted with a capital E. And as little Jacob continues to grow and grow, I have a feeling I may start having a lot more of the pregnant days than the awesome days. So my plan is to enjoy them while they last.

I went to the doctor yesterday and received an okay bill of health. They still didn't have my glucose/iron results back from four weeks ago which kinda frustrated me, but what can you do? My blood pressure was not high, but a little high for what I usually run. My doctor also reminded me to lay off the salt, which is a big challenge for me. Not only do I like to salt my food to give it more taste, but I have also had a lot of cravings for things like pickles and Doritos. : / Oh well, everything in moderation, right?? 

Of course we got to hear little Jacob's heartbeat again and it was just as cool as ever. Even though I can feel him move more and more everyday, there is just something so real about that heartbeat. And once again, he was moving around so much she had to chase him down to find it! By my next appointment though, he will probably be starting to run out of room. Speaking of next time, my next appointment is 3 weeks away instead of the usual 4. Yet another sign that we are getting closer to meeting our baby boy. I will have appointments at week 31, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40...

People keep asking me if I am ready. Ha - of course not. But I am hoping that I will feel a little bit more ready after Spring Break. My plan is to get a lot of work done and get the nursery closer to being ready.

Please continue to pray for each and every Borland...

baby Bump (with a capital B!)

Even though I said I wouldn't, I finally broke down and posted some belly pics on facebook. It's funny how early in my pregnancy, I didn't want anyone to see my 7 week picture. Now, I see how much my body has already changed to accomodate this baby and it just amazes me. I mean, seriously. How can anyone witness all of these changes a woman goes through and still deny that the Lord plans all of this. I mean, really. How else would my body be able to handle all of this? How else could two little cells come togehter to form such an intricate being?? Even as a believer, the whole process boggles my mind!

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. "

~Psalm 139:13-16

October 31st - almost 7 weeks : ) Still not feeling very pregnant here. The first trimester hit me hard and all at once right at 8 weeks.


February 3rd - Between 20-21 weeks, very soon after we found out were were having a baby boy.


Another from February 3rd.

March 9th - Between 25 and 26 weeks. Enjoying the second trimester, especially all the little movements he makes. It seems like he's moving a little more and more everyday : )

We've taken pictures as close as we can to the end of each month. I only put up the ones where I thought you could really see a difference. As long as we can remember to take some more the end of March, I'll try and post those then. Oh yeah - and anyone else notice how fast my hair has grown??

Please continue to pray for each and every Borland : )

Lil Angels Attic Sale - Bedding!!

Every year there is a huge children's consignment sale at one of the church's here in BG called Lil Angels Attic. This year my mother-in-law and I signed up for a volunteer shift just so we could go to the preview sale on Thursday night. This allowed us to see everything without having to fight the maddening crowds. Yes, it's true that they drop the prices on Saturday, but then you chance something you really want being gone! I will probably still go back before my volunteer shift on Saturday just to see if there is anything else I can't live without. 

So anyway, here is what I came home with:

• 15 articles of clothing - Some onesies, pj's, overalls, pants, etc. My favorites? A tiny Cubs onesie and some really cute puppy dog outfits. They're just boy all over! Maybe I will get motivated and post some pics.
• Teeny Tiny New Balance sneakers : ) - I know sneakers for such tiny feet are probably a waste of money, but they were so cute and such a steal that I just could not resist!
• Bookends - Not really a need, I know. But still. They were really cute and I just couldn't pass them up. Even if we don't use them until he is older. One is Pooh and one is Tigger. Each has a little book inside the bookend that slides out. I tried to post a picture, but couldn't get it to work. Go here for to check them out.
• 2 Books for Mommy - What To Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff and The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp (a book that has been recommended to me by several moms)
• OUR BEDDING!!! - It feels like such an accomplishment having our bedding picked out. We found a great set that we like and got one heck of a deal! Thanks so much to Grandmother, who purchased our bedding as a gift to Jacob! I have included two pictures below because even though it is the same bedding, it looks very different in the two different colored rooms. Our bedding set included quilt, crib sheet, dust ruffle, bumper, and valance.

 

On Becoming Baby Wise

On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam, M.D.

I first heard about this book and its principles from our good friends, Jenny and Stuart, but have since heard about its use from several other families, all with wonderful things to say about it. I have also heard some people tell me how dumb they think it is, but when questioned farther, they can't tell you much because they a.) haven't read it, or b.) haven't tried it. So the only thing I felt I could really do was to read it for myself and see.

This book just made sense. The principles seem sound and I can't say anything else other than it just made sense to me. Why wouldn't anyone want to try this? Putting your baby on a schedule will help train their bodies to eat and sleep normally. I really wish I could give you a more elegant synopsis, but it really does seem that simple. Now, I realize raising a newborn is in reality anything but simple, but this system does seem to give great guidance as to what is best for babies. And with most babies sleeping though the night by eight weeks or so, why not?? I really don't understand why anyone who would actually read this book would have a problem with its principles. Scheduling your baby is not detrimental to him/her, but beneficial. The authors do not want you to be clock-watching crazy parents. They encourage some flexibility and understanding when things don't go according to plan.

I actually put off reading this book for quite some time because to me, it just looked boring. I like to read non-fiction, but lets face it, most non-fiction can really put you to sleep! This was definitely NOT the case with this book. It was well-written enough to hold my attention. Each chapter was broken down into manageable categories, which also helped. I read this book in one evening and one afternoon.

I am definitely willing to try the principles in Baby Wise and am actually a lot more hopeful now than I was before reading the book. Before reading it, I thought I had absolutely no idea how to handle a newborn baby. Now I can safely drop the absolutely and say that I have no idea how to handle a newborn baby, but I do know where to start. Hopefully mother nature will take me the rest of the way.

Here is a popular blog that seems to be very helpful: Chronicles of a Babywise Mom.

Drumroll Please...

It's a Boy!!

Cardiologist = Pleasant Surprise!

As I mentioned before here, my OB wanted me to see a cardiologist just to have some tests run. This is only because I have had a pre-existing condition, not because I am having problems or because she thinks I will have them. More of a better-be-safe-than-sorry kind of thing.

So last week I went to see a cardiologist here in town to have an EKG and and a Cardio-Echo done. The EKG is no big deal - you just lay on a table and have a bunch of sticky things with metal pieces put on your chest, arms, and ankles. Then they connect the metal pieces to a machine using big plier-looking things. Once you're all hooked up the test only takes about 30 seconds. They just monitor your heart rate and print out a piece of paper that looks like you just took a lie detector test.

The Cardio-Echo is basically just an ultrasound of your heart. They use really cold jelly and rub a wand over your skin over the area they want to see. But unlike some ultrasounds, the Cardio-Echo can actually be a little painful. They have to push really hard to see through some of the tissue and they sometimes have to jab really hard at your ribs. Zero fun. 

Anyway, as the man was looking up at the bottom of my heart via under my ribs, I warned him that if he got any lower we would be able to see my baby on that screen. He laughed and told me we would do that next. It's a good thing I was in a cardiologist's office, because I just about had a heart attack on the spot! Seriously, my heart started beating so fast that he had to stop the test and let me calm down a bit. I was just so shocked! I had no idea when I woke up that morning that I would have the chance to see my baby. Talk about a pleasant surprise!

I wasn't able to see a whole lot because that is not really what the equipment was designed for. And since I was only 16 weeks, he couldn't really tell the gender. But I'm almost glad for that since Jeff wasn't even with me. That was the worst part. It was amazing to see our baby, but I really wanted the daddy there with me to see it too. It was an awesome thing to see, though. I enjoy seeing other people's ultrasound pictures, but let's be honest, they all look alike to me. Not this one. I know you may argue that it had to look just like everyone else's, but no. The baby I saw on the screen was the most beautiful baby I have ever seen in my life. I cannot wait until I get to see it again in a few weeks, when Jeff gets to see it for the first time. And I definitely cannot wait until I can hold it in my arms! At the risk of becoming sickeningly sappy, I will stop here. I'm already crying in anticipation anyway! 

15 weeks - update

I know, I know. I'm a horrible blogger! But since Christmas Break started, I've barely even logged in to googlereader to read anyone else's, much less put effort into my own! I even have some Christmas posts that I had started way back when that I need to finish off and post.

Just know that I have been busy. Busy laying around all day and enjoying the holidays. Busy spending time with all of my family and getting some much needed rest.

Besides staying busy with all of that, I did make it to another prenatal appointment yesterday. This time our little one's heartrate was 10 beats slower, but still a solid 156 beats a minute. My weight and blood pressure and everything else is still fine too. The only big thing the doctor advised me of for right now is not to lay flat on my back. No problem, I thought, I'm a side-sleeper anyway. Actually, problem. Last night I couldn't fall asleep for anything. All I wanted to do was lay on my back! Which is weird, because I never remember doing it. Oh well. If that is the only thing keeping me up at night, I feel like I am doing okay! Most of my bad symptoms are starting to slowly disappear. I'm actually starting to feel a little more human again!

Oh, and our ultrasound is scheduled for the end of January. Can't wait!!

Belly Laughs - The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth

I read this book several months back when Jeff and I first started thinking about trying to have a baby. I am one of those really weird people who reads books way ahead of time. (I was reading marriage books before we were even engaged. But hey, I wanted to know exactly what it was I would be agreeing to!) A good friend from school had mentioned that this book was hilarious so I decided to give it a try.

First of all, she was right. This book was extremely funny. But you have to remember that this book was written by Jenny McCarthy. So yes, there were some not-so-nice words and parts that were a little on the vulgar side. Scratch that. Very vulgar. But if you can handle that kind of stuff, then you would love this book. She is brutally honest about the highs and lows of her pregnancy. Some of the chapters had me literally laughing out loud and some have me really, really hoping I don't have some of her troubles!!

I enjoyed her book enough that later on in my pregnancy, I plan to read Baby Laughs - The Naked Truth About the First Year of Mommyhood.   

The Heartbeat : )

Last Wednesday (12/02) I had my first doctor's appointment with my actual doctor (before I had just seen the nurses). Other than the ultrasound, this appointment was one that I had looked forward to the most because we were supposed to be able to actually hear our baby's heartbeat. I was so nervous that something would be wrong and they would not be able to find it. I know, I know, I'm a worry-wart, but I can't help it! Everyone keeps telling me that if something were wrong, my body would tell me. I know this in my head, but it is still very hard not to worry! 

But as it turns out (as it usually does!) I had nothing to worry about at all. Dr. L had no problem at all finding the heartbeat. It was a solid 166 beats per minute! It was such a great moment for us. Our baby has a heartbeat. Our baby. It's actually in there! I know this may seem silly, but up until now, it's been pretty hard to wrap my mind around. Don't get me wrong, it's still mind-boggling, but a little less so. I mean, it's not like I look pregnant yet, just a little flabby around the middle. And even though I have been pretty sick, it still just feels to me like I am sick and tired all the time. I don't necessarily "feel pregnant." And even though I still don't physically feel pregnant, my heart definitely feels a little more like a mother. Just hearing that tiny, fast heartbeat makes me want to eat better, exercise, and get plenty of sleep. I cannot even bring myself to drink any caffeine now either because every time I think about it I hear that little heartbeat and I think about making it beat faster than it needs to be right now. 

The only other interesting thing that came from this appointment was that because of a pre-existing heart condition, my doctor wants me to see a cardiologists. I've had surgery to correct the problem, so I don't really foresee any problems, but my doctor wants me to have an echo done just in case. She says sometimes pregnancy can make past problems sneak up again. I'm supposed to see a cardiologist every year, but I don't think I've been since I went to college! I know, I know, I should definitely take better care of my self. I don't have an appointment yet, but definitely be in prayer that there are no problems.