Feeling Like Myself

Wow!  For the first time in over a month I feel like myself.  It took forever for me to drift to sleep last night, but when I awoke there was NO back pain!  Hallelujah!  It must have something to do with the cortisone shot.  After doing some Google investigating, I found that many people seek relief from back pain with the use of cortisone injections.  I will definitely bring this up next week at both of my appointments (for GTT and check up).

The only downfall to cortisone is that it leaves you feeling all dried out.  I did crawl out of bed with a headache from needing something to drink.  I went ahead and took some Tylenol and have been chugging juice and water all morning long.  Once we get in the car to head to Biloxi I will cut back so we're not stopping every 30 minutes.

Because my throat hurt so much on Tuesday afternoon along with yesterday, it has been difficult to eat.  Instead of gaining weight this week, I've actually lost a pound dropping me to 154 lbs.  I'm sure it can't hurt me since my weight gain has been extremely steady at 2 lbs each week for well over the past two months.  I know it's all for Ellie, but I hope that the weight gain tapers off as we draw near to the end of pregnancy.  At the rate of gaining 2 lbs every week that would top me off at 178 lbs weighing MORE than both my Dad and Brandon.  Eeeeek!  Whether or not I pass the GTT next week, I will continue to be mindful of my sweets.  That's really the only thing I can control at this point because I've cut way back on fast food, only eating it two days a week (on Wednesday while at work and after church on Sunday).

It's only 8:30 am here and I've already gotten showered, unloaded the dishwasher, loaded it again, cleaned the bathroom floor, vacuumed the house (something I haven't been able to do in over a month), and washed/dried/put away 4 loads of laundry and am still going.  I still have this overwhelming urge to keep cleaning, but I don't want to wear myself out before we get in the car.  I most likely won't be able to nap in the car with Brandon's phone going off constantly and having to help him to respond to emails.

Thank you God for giving me this energy today.  I forgot what it was like to wake up well rested and not in pain.  Even if this is the only day I feel this way, I am grateful to remember how it feels to not hurt.

Sick

Brandon came home from Mississippi yesterday to find me sick.  I kept trying to tell myself that it was just  acid reflux making my throat hurt.  Boy was I wrong!  My throat started hurting mid afternoon yesterday and just got worse as the evening moved on.  I took a glass of water to bed with me, but it was all but impossible to take a sip.

I woke up this morning (at 2 am as usual) and felt awful.  When Brandon got up I could barely talk because it hurt so much.  After going to the doc-in-the-box, I found out that I have strep throat.  They gave me a shot in the hiney and a prescription for antibiotocs (pregnancy safe).  It was quite nostalgic to get stuck in the butt after enduring so many progesterone in oil injections during the first 12 weeks of our pregnancy.  There was no way that I could work today because I felt awful along with being contagious.

Now I'm sitting at home waiting on Brandon to get back from Wednesday night dinner and LIFE at church.  I'm looking forward to travelling with him tomorrow to Biloxi, MS and going on a date.  One of his sales reps there has us set up at a casino for tomorrow evening so we're going to treat it as a date.  It will be nice to go out to dinner together somewhere different.  We'll most likely come home sometime Friday afternoon.

I guess seeing how I do with this trip will determine if we can go on a true Baby Moon.  Being in the car is not one of my favorite things right now, but Brandon traveled Monday and Tuesday and has been gone all day today.  It will be nice to spend some time with him.  I can't wait to post some pictures from our trip and update on Saturday as we enter the SEVENTH MONTH and THIRD TRIMESTER!  I'm just a little bit excited!

3-Hour Test Scheduled

My Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 5 at 8:15 am.

I found the below guidelines for abnormal results:

Interval                Abnormal Reading

Fasting                   95 or higher

One hour               180 or higher

Two hours            155 or higher

Three hours         140 or higher

(information taken from American Pregnancy Association)

With my GTT in a week, I am hopeful that I will pass the test with flying colors!  My friend took the GTT today and wasn't able to complete it because she got sick.  Instead of making her retake the test, they went ahead and gave her the diet guidelines for Gestational Diabetes.  

In recent weeks I have given up Oreos entirely!  My obsession with Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies also came to a close with a little help.  When I've been in the grocery store I've been abstaining from purchasing ANY sweets, but buying yogurts with granola and always buying some yummy strawberries or cantaloupe.  

Before I was pregnant I never had to worry about what I was eating.  My metabolism had just begun to slow down, but I was able to eat whenever and whatever I wanted.  Pregnancy has definitely changed me and my eating habits.  Before, I only ate one or two meals a day.  No snacks, no nothing in between.  I only drank water at dinner.  Now I cannot get enough water during the day!  My caffeine addiction was out of control and now I have to remind myself that it's alright to have one "real Dr. Pepper" a week as a treat.

I do hope that I can continue with my healthier habits once Elliana is here.  Brandon laughs at all that I want to do differently with her.  I'm sure that we'll make concessions, but for now I know without a doubt that I do NOT want her drinking soft drinks or eating fast food.  I'm sure it will happen occasionally, but I want it to be a treat when it does happen.  I barely ate anything when I was little and I started drinking Diet Dr. Pepper and coffee by age three!  I've still never eaten a whole candy bar and I don't plan on changing that.  I've definitely got my odd quirks, but I hope that Elliana will be a much healthier little girl than I was.

My Weekend in Pictures

Weekends are never quite long enough, but at least I only work two days a week now.  Be jealous!  Just kidding, but I do a LOT when I'm at home now.  With Brandon still on the no-carb diet through the week there's not much cooking to do so I've been working on cleaning and organizing EVERYTHING!

My back is still aching every morning--it's day 23 of the continued wake-me-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night with severe pain, but who's counting?  On Saturday I was able to do something nice for Brandon since he eats carbs on the weekend.  I broke out the waffle iron!

Seriously, I woke up at 6 am on Saturday morning and played music for Elliana for over an hour.  Again, she so has my taste in music.  She really enjoyed Johnny Cash but that's another post entirely.  By 7:30 I couldn't stand it and I woke Brandon up to hot waffles.  (We don't sleep in around here) He was excited to say the least.

Big Ron's (Brandon's Dad) birthday is this Tuesday, but we all got together on Saturday to celebrate.

This is Uncle B's favorite person.  He always makes sure to tell Bryson every time he says good bye.  Now Bryson says it to him too.  It's too precious.  (I even got a kiss on the tummy for Ellie when we left!)

Bryson is getting ready to play t-ball and I cannot wait for his games.  The boys practiced a little out in the yard and it was hilarious!  I have no doubt that Bryson will be every bit athletic as his Daddy and Uncle B!

We built a fire on the porch which KILLED my throat, but it was worth it.  (My throat was sore all day on Sunday.)  We sat around watching Bryson play and sharing old stories.  I'm amazed that Gina and Stephanie turned out alright sometimes after hearing how Brandon and Brian played with them when they were little.  Even Brandon says that he's horrified of how he threw them around playing when they were little.  Because Brandon spent so much time with his sisters when they were little, I have no doubt that he will be braiding hair, putting in hair bows, having tea parties, and only letting Ellie watch superhero cartoons very soon.

Next year Poppa will have Bryson and Ellie in his lap to blow out the birthday candles.  I can't wait!

On Sunday we went to a little state park only six miles from our house.  We had no idea that it was there.  It has a one mile walking path around a beautiful lake.  It was a beautiful day so after church and lunch we went out there for a walk.  I hope we can make this a Sunday tradition.  I am also proud of myself for making it one mile with NO stops.

One of the great things about living in Alabama is sunny and warm days in February.  I will be working on my tan next month!

Here are two pictures of myself from this morning.  I apologize for the mirror shots, but Brandon left for Mississippi early this morning and won't be back until Wednesday.  He's going back on Thursday but I plan on traveling with him later this week.

27w2d

27w2d

I'm definitely getting bigger and bigger.  My feet are a little bigger and most of my rings don't fit anymore.  My bridal set won't even attempt to go over my knuckle anymore.  At least I was able to wear my favorite rings for this long!

~~~~~~~~

A sweet friend of mine received bad news this morning.  My heart aches and my arms wish that they could reach her.  I'll never truly understand infertility.  Miscarriage is a whole other monster.  I can only pray that she feels comfort on this day.  Heaven welcomed another angel taken entirely too soon.

27 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:
27 weeks
*Wrapping up the Sixth month and the Second Trimester*
Since 37 weeks is considered full term, we only have 10 more weeks until our little Elliana could decide to show up!

How big is Ellie:
The size of a rutabaga

From what I've read, my uterus is the size of a basketball.  Wow.  No wonder my belly is so big!

Maternity Clothes:
Some of my maternity shirts are now too short.  Oh no!

Weight Gain Alert!

155 lbs

Gained This Week:  2 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  32 lbs

Movement:
Ellie's movements have become much more pronounced.  Some of her kicks and movements are quite uncomfortable.  She responds to me patting my belly and she loves to listen to music.  So far her favorites are The Avett Brothers and Johnny Cash.  She definitely has my taste in music!

Food Cravings:
I've started craving ice.  I still drink tons of water throughout the day, but my food cravings aren't too severe.  

Food Aversions:
Anything greasy.  There's not much that I won't eat right now.  I probably don't eat enough red meat, but I've never eaten enough even before I was pregnant.

My Current Eating Pattern:
I'm trying to still keep my same patterns now that I'm not working as much.  It's actually been harder for me to remember to eat because I have so much stuff to do around the house.

Symptoms:
backache, increased thirst, swolen feet and ankles, swolen fingers, fatigue, acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, sleepless nights, increased appetite, occasional Braxton Hicks contractions, increased sense of smell, some nausea when I need to eat

Sleep:
I miss it!  I still wake up each morning with intense back pain.  Also, I get up at least once or twice to visit the potty.

What do I miss:
Sleeping through the night without back pain.  

Best moment of the week:
Hearing Ellie's heartbeat again and getting her room put together a little more.  I've enjoyed having more time at the house.

Worst moment of the week:
Failing my one-hour glucose test.  I don't look forward to taking the three-hour test.

What am I looking forward to:
We have our 3D ultrasound scheduled in the next two weeks.  I'm excited to see what out baby girl looks like.  

Milestones:
In 10 weeks our precious Ellie could be born.  This pregnancy has flown by, and I'm glad that I've documented as much as I have.

"Ellie most likely weighs over two pounds now and should be able to recognize my voice."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate
The belly is definitely growing.  Some days I'm extremely uncomfortable depending on how she lays.

1-Hour Sugar Test

Brandon went with me to my appointment yesterday morning for the dreaded sugar test. Surprisingly enough, the sugary drink did not taste bad at all.  It was only difficult for me to abstain from drinking anything else within the hour.  I stay so thirsty now!

Throughout the course of this pregnancy I have made it my personal goal to meet all of the doctors early.  I didn't want our first meeting to be when it's time for those lovely cervix checks and such.  We met Dr. Adcock yesterday.  He was great.  He seemed very interested in my upper back pain and trying to find a solution.  He wondered if switching up and taking my acid reflux medication in the evenings along with a small snack would help.  (It didn't.)  He seemed more concerned with my back issues than the other two doctors so far.

I failed the sugar test.  They wanted my number below 139 and mine was 160.  The doctor's office is supposed to call on Monday and schedule my 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test.

I'm not excited about the thought of having nothing to eat or drink for three hours, but I'll do it for the baby!

Before I left, the nurses gave me a sheet instructing me to keep up with Elliana's fetal activity.

This made Brandon nervous at first, but I'm very aware of what times my baby girl is awake now.  She is quite the mover and kicker after mealtime.  I think that B was afraid that this would cause anxiety for me.  By no means will I even try to track her movements until after I've had a meal or snack.  Feeling 10 separate movements will be no problem at all for us!

As I mentioned above, my back still woke me up in pain this morning.  Today is the 20th day in a row that I have woken up in pain that makes it difficult to breathe.  At least my back only causes problems at night and not during the daytime.

For now, my next scheduled appointment is on March 8 with Dr. McKenzie.  On that day we will also have Ellie's 3d ultrasound.  I think that I"ll have appointments every two weeks from here through the end of our pregnancy.  I'm not looking forward to scheduling the 3-hour test, but the nurses feel positive that I'll pass that one.  But if this is the worst thing that happens during our pregnancy, I guess I can't complain!

Ellie Stuff

I washed, dryed, and folded over 5 loads of laundry yesterday!  My to do list is growing, but it seemed like the laundry was multiplying.  By 10 am I was already exhausted and took a two hour nap!  My back pain is still driving me crazy, and I'm now having leg cramps.  BUT yesterday was a great day and I wanted to share some Ellie stuff!

We ordered the diaper changing table and lamp from Target.com last week.  UPS delivered both packages last night.  I'm so lucky that Brandon was just as eager to put it together as I was. I didn't even have to ask!

He actually read the instructions!

Making sure everything's in place

Ta-da!

Until we receive the crib, I'm not sure how I'm going to set up the room. 

Here's her lamp.  I think it matches the curtains nicely.  I still need to find a small black table for the lamp to sit on.  But I'm sure it will all come together once the crib is here and in place.

Ellie also got a gift from Katherine at church on Sunday.  It's the cutest little bouncy-seat I've ever seen.  Since Brandon had his tools handy, he went ahead and assembled the seat as well.

More instructions!

Making sure it's safe for his "baby girl."

The finished product

Thank you so much, Katherine!  It's precious and I love the colors!

Brandon's parents bought Ellie's crib for us.  I'm hoping that it will arrive soon!  All of my decorating plans for Ellie's room are contingent on where I place the crib.  I love monograms, and plan on having wooden letters placed over her crib.  I also want to enlarge a picture of the two embryos that we transferred along with a few other images from that day.  In her room, I'm trying to go with the "less is more"  philosophy.  Her room probably won't look too much like a little baby room, but that's what I'm going for.

Busy Weekend WrapUp

Brandon and I had an extremely busy weekend, but it was a great one! 

My step-dad is currently in China for work, but he wanted to get my Mom something nice for Valentine's Day.  I helped him and picked out some beautiful 1ctw diamond studs!  We had dinner with her and the kids Saturday night at La Paz in Hoover.  It's a fabulous restaurant that has Mexican food.

  I had the Tamarind-Citrus Chicken. 

Char-grilled chicken over coconut rice topped with mango salsa and fresh avocado along with a side salad

Everything was great!  I love Mexican food and cannot wait to eat here again!  Beth even tried guacamole for the first time and now loves it!

We had Sunday Lunch after church for Stephanie's birthday.  We had 19 people present and we were still missing one cousin!  

Here's Uncle B playing with our nephew, Bryson 

We always have pasta with homemade red sauce, homemade meatballs, fried eggplant, and fried chicken.  It's definitely one of my pregnancy cravings!  I should have gotten a picture down the hallway where we had more tables and chairs.  

Here we are singing Happy Birthday to Steph.

This is Nanny's yummy strawberry cake.  Its my personal favorite of her cakes! 

Brandon's Dad has many horses down at the barn and Bryson was super excited to go on a ride with his Poppa.

We got home just in time for me to immediately head out to LIFE.  Once I was home Brandon went up to the church for the men's meeting and steak night.  I had to watch The Walking Dead without him, but it was a low-stress episode that didn't freak me out too much.

I did find a cool app on my phone to make me look like a zombie.  It kept me occupied during commercial breaks.  I took this picture about a week ago when I was eating cookies.  I was excited that I could balance my cup on my tummy.  

So our weekend was pretty busy, but it was nice to spend some time with our family.

26 Weeks *Viability* and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

26 Weeks

*Viability*

How big is Ellie:

The size of a head of iceberg lettuce

Maternity Clothes:

Yep.  I was naive and tried to wear a pair of regular jeans with the belly band.  They wouldn't even zip, and these jeans were too large before I got pregnant.  I'd still wear leggings every day if it was appropriate.

Weight Gain Alert!

153 lbs

Gained This Week:  2 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  30 lbs

Movement:

Ellie's movements are becoming more and more pronounced as each day passes.  She's still mostly active when I wake up and after meals.  You can see my stomach move when she kicks now.

Food Cravings:

I drink water all day long.  I have also been wanting more sweets lately, but still try to appease myself with fruit and healthier items.

Food Aversions:

Fried food and the thought of grilled food makes me cringe.  

My Current Eating Pattern:

My eating hasn't changed much.  We were super busy this week with Valentine's Day and I wasn't able to drink enough water on Thursday.  I drank a crazy amount of water yesterday because I felt all dried up!  I'm glad that there will be no more super busy days at work because I was borderline dehydrated!

Symptoms:

fatigue, exhaustion, swollen feet, swollen fingers, frequent urination, leaky bladder, breast changes!, acid reflux, indigestion, heartburn, pregnancy brain, clusiness, back pain, Braxton Hicks, bigger belly, hot flashes, hot feeling all of the time, thirsty, varicose veins

Sleep:

Sleep is fabulous until 2-4 am.  I wish I knew what was causing my back pain.  As long as I get up and move around and brace myself on the couch I'm able to go back to sleep.  Maybe Ellie is positioned funny when I'm resting.  Who knows?!?  I feel like my body is preparing me to wake up for night time feedings already!

What do I miss:

Sleeping through the night until my alarm wakes me.  This back pain is for the birds!

Best moment of the week:

Ordering Ellie's changing table and lamp on Valentine's Day!

Worst moment of the week:

Having recurring back pain each morning while trying to sleep.

What am I looking forward to:

Hopefully passing the one-hour sugar test on Thursday.  Also, I've cut my hours back at work in hopes to rest more and see how that helps my back.  There's still so much cleaning to be done in the house and I haven't had much time to accomplish anything so far.  Here's to making the next 14 weeks productive and getting the house in order for Ellie's arrival.  

Milestones:

We've reached viability!

Completed Weeks of Gestation at Birth & Survival Rate

21 weeks and less                             0%
22 weeks                                          0-10%
23 weeks                                          10-35%
24 weeks                                          40-70%
25 weeks                                          50-80%
26 weeks                                          80-90%
27 weeks                                          >90%
30 weeks                                          >95%
34 weeks                                          >98%

Bumpdate

It's Friday

Today I am thankful that it's Friday, even though my weekend is already completely full of events leaving me with no time to rest...

Brandon is traveling to Pensacola for work today,  returning home sometime tomorrow.  We've got a worship service at church this evening that Brandon was supposed to help with, so I'm planning to leave work early today for that.  Tomorrow will be the last Saturday that I'm working at the jewelry store.  (I'll elaborate more about that in a minute.)  We're eating dinner with my Mom and the kids (Nate and Beth) tomorrow evening.  It's been a month since we saw them last and it's just too long.  With all of our busy schedules it's hard to spend time with my Mom.  I know that things will be different once Ellie's here, but it doesn't change the fact that I miss my family now!  Brandon's youngest sister celebrated her birthday yesterday, so we're having Sunday Lunch after church with our Italian family.  Did I also mention that my LIFE group meets each Sunday afternoon at 4pm?  I'm tired already thinking about all that's going on this weekend, but at least it's all family stuff.  I'd much rather be busy with my family than doing nothing at all.  

We were crazy busy at the store the past two days.  People that have or currently work in retail don't even have a clue what it's like to work in a jewelry store on the week of Valentine's Day!  Not to brag, but I made not one-not two, but THREE nice sales yesterday.  Selling used to be so easy for me, but it changed once I got pregnant.  My numbers started dropping in August.  Paul talked to me about it, but understood that I had a lot going on.  Yesterday was just what I needed to boost my self-confidence in the store.  Of course, it's super easy to sell jewelry to men when they've waited until the last minute to buy. 

Brandon and I didn't do anything special to celebrate Valentine's Day.  We ordered Ellie's changing table and lamp and counted that as our gift to each other.  He did stop by work with some beautiful red tulips for Ellie and me.  Dad dropped by and we went out to lunch together while it was slow at work.  At the end of the evening, Paul gave us all a beautiful diamond (horizontal-set) cross pendant.  He usually gives us all roses, but we gave them all away to our customers!  Brandon and I "crafted" once I was home--we had to put the finishing touches on some items for the worship service at church this evening.  Even though there was no candy or gifts, it was one of the best we've ever had.  I can only imagine how amazing it will be next year with our snuggly little Ellie Valentine!

Working has become difficult lately because I feel so terrible most of the time.  I sit down as much as possible during the slow times, but there wasn't much down time this week.  During a quiet moment I asked Paul if I could reduce my hours through the end of March.  He was more than supportive and knows that I'm struggling each day.  I don't think I could have asked for a better boss.  He supported us so much while we were trying to conceive.  When I had surgeries and needed time off due to treatment, he never docked my pay- NOT ONCE.  I will miss not being in the store.  Everyone is like my extended family because I see them more than anyone else; including Brandon.  I have no doubt that I will make frequent visits with Ellie so I don't get cabin fever at the house while she's still little.

I had really wanted to continue working full-time through March 29, but I now know that there's no way.  Brandon has always taken care of our finances, and I completely trust him with that task.  When we get paid, he gives the first 10% to the church.  I whole-heartedly believe this is why we have what we do.  There's always enough money to pay the bills, pay our life-insurance, and pay our savings.  God hasn't failed us yet(nor do I believe that he will) in the financial department.  Not to say that we haven't had our fair share of struggles, but God has taken good care of us.  I am nervous to see my paycheck lessen, but I know that God is in control. 

Update on my back--it still hurts!  My hip is also still bothering me, but I visited the chiropractor this morning.  I plan on getting some much needed rest next week. 

Back Updates

Well, my back still hurts. The muscle relaxer does help me sleep better, but my back still tenses early each morning. BUT the muscle relaxer makes me so groggy that its easier to sleep through the pain.

Brandon traveled Tuesday evening and I was able to stay in the bed all night. I rarely sleep well when he's gone. I did wake up and sit in the recliner for a few minutes with the heating pad before starting my morning routine. The heat doesn't help that much but it's comforting.

I think I woke up at least two times last night visiting the potty (crazy over active bladder) and felt my back hurting. Brandon got up early planning on going to the gym and ended up on the couch. I woke at 6 am but stayed in bed so I wouldn't wake him up. I desperately wish that I could sleep until I'm supposed to get up. Waking up early is getting to me, and I've been napping each morning for 30 minutes until its time for me to go to work. I thought I was supposed to have more energy? Growing Ellie is zapping me!

Lately my posts have revolved around the common theme of pain. I do apologize for that. Nothing could have ever prepared me for pregnancy! I was extremely lucky to not battle morning sickness like most women, but the pain has been trying for me. Just yesterday it felt like my hip popped out if place and it hurt to walk ALL day long. I'm hoping and praying that this is all a phase. I've only got 29 more days that I will work, but I'm not sure how I'm going to do it. This week had been hard with Valentine's Day, and it's getting harder and harder for me to be on my feet all day.

So again, I'm sorry for so many posts about my pain. Being pregnant is the greatest blessing, and I am truly thankful for the experience. But with that being said, I will feel even more blessed once Ellie is safely tucked in my arms instead of my belly.

February 12 Appointment

Today I met Dr Ross for the first time. He was great! He made me feel comfortable and at ease and answered all of my questions.

Unfortunately it looks like my bladder problems are a common occurrence of pregnancy. Dr Ross was concerned with my back pain, mostly because it's high on my back. He gave me a prescription for a safe muscle relaxer to use at bedtime in hopes of me sleeping through the night.

I did discuss my weight gain concerns with Dr Ross and he isn't worried at all. He said that I looked healthy and was making wise food choices. I promise- I haven't had Oreos in over a week!

Overall it was a great appointment. I still have an appointment next week for my one-hour sugar test for gestational diabetes.

Again?

Today is the ninth day in a row that I've been woken up with severe back pain. I was able to push through some of the pain yesterday and slept until 6:30 am. At least I'm off today, but nobody likes to wake up at 2 am.

I called my OB office yesterday and explained what has been going on. At first the nurse wasn't helpful. She did not understand how much pain I'm having each morning! Along with my back pain, I've also been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. They're not awful, but they're scary, especially when they're happening in the middle of the night!

The nurse asked me if I wanted to go ahead and come in today, so I have an appointment with Dr Ross at 1:20 pm.

My bladder problems are only an issue when I have to stand a lot- which is part of my job. (I do sit as much as during the slow times.) This is most likely TMI, but I am leaking all day long. I don't have any UTI symptoms, but it seems like I'm always in the bathroom. I know that it's because Ellie I growing and pressing on my bladder, but my abdomen often feels crampy during the day- like I'm having light menstrual cramps.

My feet and fingers are still swelling, and I'm so hot during the day. I ordered another ring to wear in place of my wedding set because I didn't want to size it. My own rings barely fit now and I'm even noticing that all of my boots are tight.

I'm afraid that these last 14 weeks are going to be rough if the past nine days are any indication of what's to come. I'm hoping that the doctor will be able to help me today.

It's 4am again

It seems like this should become my new wake up time. I woke up at 2am in pain yesterday morning and moved to the recliner for a few hours before ending up on the couch. I woke up on e earlier this morning to go to the potty and my back was hurting but it was bearable. Now it is NOT.

I don't know that I've explained well where my back aches. It is NOT a LOWER back issue. It's high, and the chiropractor said that it's my ribs. I don't fully understand it, but he said it has to do with my body's production of the hormone relaxin. That and then my body overcompensated something and causes something else to swell- and that's what makes it difficult to breathe. I tried to pay attention, but my short-term memory is shot.

Brandon had to help me get into the recliner this today. The pain was intense and sucking the breath right out of me. He tried to rub my back, but it seemed to aggravate it worse. The pain is also making appearances during the day now.

Yesterday was a long day. Not getting a full night's sleep has taken a toll on me. I looked like a zombie for most of the day. Because I drink so much, I end up frequenting the restroom a lot. Let's just say that the pressure on my bladder has increased much in last few days and I'm often afraid I won't make it to the potty on time. (Again, this may be TMI, but this blog was intended to bear it all.) The pressure on my expanding tummy had me feeling blah all day long. It was all I could stand to make it to the end of the day.

Please know that I am so grateful for this pregnancy, but my body is in complete turmoil. This Mommy will be resting as much as possible today and will be calling the OB tomorrow. Visiting the chiropractor once a week is not working and I've honesty felt NO relief from the past two visits. Applying heat does nothing but make me sweat, and I'm already sleeping with so many pillows. Any other suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

Sorry for the length and randomness o this post. It is early and I'm probably delirious.

25 Weeks and Bumpdate

How many weeks:

25 Weeks
(15 weeks to go)

How big is Ellie:
The size of a bouquet of cauliflower

Maternity Clothes:
Some of my maternity dresses now look shorter in the front than in the back.  Again, I have no idea how I would have made it this far without the maternity support band.  I have a feeling that I will continue wearing it even after I'm no longer working.  It just provides so much support on my tummy and I now feel uncomfortable without it.

Weight Gain Alert!

151 lbs

Gained This Week:  3 lbs

Total Weight Gain:  28 lbs

Movement:
Brandon was able to feel Ellie kicking more over the past weekend.  Her movements are more pronounced now-which is probably because she's getting bigger!  She also enjoys kicking Mommy's bladder which is one of the strangest sensations in the world.  

Food Cravings:
Mostly healthy stuff.  I still don't think I truly crave anything because I'm such a creature of habit eating the same things each week.  At our last trip to the grocery store I did bypass the Oreos and haven't regretted that decision.  I've focused on eating more fruit when I want something sweet.

Food Aversions:
Fast Food still seems disgusting.  Also, I can't stand it when Brandon cooks sausage and stuff like that for breakfast.  The smell makes me feel awful.

My Current Eating Pattern:
Juice and Waffles for breakfast
Snack time (fruit or Gardettos) around 11
Lunch
Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper for afternoon snack
Dinner - I've actually been eating less at dinner time because my reflux is awful at night.
I am drinking at least 64 oz of water each day.  Because of the hot flashes I have to do something to keep cool.

Symptoms:

backache, numbness in feet, swollen feet, hands are swelling, swollen legs, varicose veins (I'll just leave it at that), increased appetite, thirsty, tingly feeling at the top of my stomach, fatigue, leaky bladder, moodiness, weepiness, hot flashes, hot feeling ALL of the time, breast changes (oh my!), oily hair, indigestion, acid reflux, heartburn 

Sleep:
I miss sleep so much!  I wake up every morning around 4 am from back pain.  From there I get up and move to the recliner in the living room.  I've been falling asleep earlier because of my lack of sleep during the night.

Stretch Marks:
None but you can tell that I'm swelling EVERYWHERE!

What do I miss:
A full night's sleep, but I won't have that once Elliana's here either.  I guess my back is helping me prepare for middle-of-the-night feedings.  Thankfully it's easier for me to go back to sleep now because I'm so exhausted from growing a baby.

Best moment of the week:
Ordering Ellie's bedding and getting the email that it's shipped! (It should arrive today!)  Brandon finished moving all of his office stuff out of her room and now we can begin getting everything ready for her arrival.

Worst moment of the week:
Waking up each morning out of breath from back pain.  

What am I looking forward to:
Next week Ellie reaches viability!  I'm still not ready for her to arrive yet, but this is another great milestone in our near future.

Milestones:
Every day is still a milestone for us.  Looking in the mirror at my growing belly always brings a smile to face.

"Ellie is growing by leaps and bounds and weighs near a pound and a half now.  Under her skin, capillaries are forming and filling with blood and by week's end, air sacs will develop into lungs, getting ready for Ellie's first breath.  The lungs are still developing surfactant, which will help the lungs expand after birth.  Also, Ellie's nostrils are now unplugged and starting to open, and her vocal chords are getting ready to cry."
from What to Expect When You're Expecting

Bumpdate
My tummy is rounding out and sticking out further.  Carrying her is an amazing accomplishment for me after all of the drama that  my uterus caused me while we were TTC.  But I have to say that it often feels like I'm carrying around a heavy basketball under my shirt.

More Early Morning Back Pain

Today I find myself awake at 4 am again. I think the pain on my upper back is actually worse this morning. Now it's radiating around into the front of my belly and ribs. If I move the wrong way it takes the breath out of me.

Brandon is out of town but coming home this evening. I tried sleeping in the middle of the bed with pillows surrounding me in case I tried to move too much. Still no luck. I'm on the recliner now applying heat to my back. My return chiropractor appointment is late this afternoon and I'm hoping they can try something else to help. Not only am I uncomfortable now, but it lasts into the morning and it comes back during the day. :(

I do hate to complain, but I desperately need a full night's rest. I haven't slept through the night all week and I'm worn down by 4 pm each afternoon. Plus not being able to breathe is scary. I will update after my chiropractor appointment tonight or either tomorrow. And again, sorry to keep complaining.

Chiropractor & Panties Story

After yesterday's post, I waited for the OB office to open to speak with a nurse.  They were more than supportive of me visiting a chiropractor.  I immediately called and was able to schedule an appointment for late afternoon.

I was at the chiropractor office almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon!  Apparently they were busy and decided to leave the pregnant woman for last.  I seriously have issues with waiting lately and it didn't help that none of the chairs were comfortable and I needed a snack.  Once Dr. S was in the room he did a bunch of different things and then asked me to come back on Friday afternoon.

After church last night I was exhausted from the previous nights' lack of sleep.  I STILL woke up at 4:30 this morning out of breath and in pain. =(  I was able to get up and make it to the recliner.  After about ten minutes of positioning myself I was able to go back to sleep even though my back was aching.  Once Brandon got up he heated up my herbie pack (microwaveable heating pad) and put it on my upper back.  It was so hot that I still have a huge red spot.  Oops!  Right now my back still hurts.  I'm hoping that it will go away as the day progresses.  I'm still exhausted because I didn't get a full night's sleep.  Something's gotta give!  I love my sweet Ellie, but she's doing a number on Mommy's body!

Here are two pictures of me while waiting on the chiropractor yesterday.  I can definitely tell that I'm growing!

Just so this post isn't super boring and about the joys of my back pain, I will leave you with a funny story.  When I started this blog I always wanted to keep it real, and this is about as real as it gets!

I went to the bathroom yesterday and my bikini line was hurting like crazy.  I looked down and my skin was super red.  Once I walked back out into the showroom at work, I realized it was because my panties were too tight!  These are big granny panty underwear so I was shocked.  Did this just happen overnight?  I looked at Jen and had no idea what to do.  I seriously didn't want to have to leave work to buy underwear.  When my boss wasn't looking I grabbed a pair of scissors and raced back to the bathroom.  I had to cut the leg seem on each side of my panties.  Talk about crazy.  I swear these things only happen to me- or I'm the only one not embarrassed to share it with the world!  They still felt tight for the rest of the day, but it beat the alternative of going commando.  I had church right after my chiropractor appointment so I had to endure the tight drawers for a little while longer.  Once I was home it felt amazing to get them off.  I was asleep when Brandon got home from LIFE, so he laughed when he saw me wearing his boxer briefs this morning.  I know why men wear them now- they are super comfortable!  If only I could wear those today!!  Looks like I will be purchasing me some new and LARGER panties on my lunch break today.