R E L A X . . . {38 weeks!}

We are down to the 2 week mark. Actually less than that. 13 days. THIRTEEN. DAYS. Meaning that it can happen really any time now. But it won't. {Stay in there little bean!}

Last Friday and Saturday we had two different classes to go to. On Friday, we had a 2 hour Infant Care class. Basically it covered what your baby will look like when she is born and what are normal things to see. We learned about changing diapers and swaddling and feedings... It was a quick class but I am glad we went. Then Saturday we had a "Prepared Childbirth" class which was about 6 hours long. That class was more in-depth about what happens during labor and what our options are during labor. The main thing the Nurse continually reminded us was that we have to relax. R E L A X. And breathe. She gave us some exercises to do at home to help us train our body to breathe and relax. I normally do them in the shower if I remember. I know our options and what our hospital is capable of and can do and based on that I have been working on my birth plan. I am currently reading a book called "Natural Hospital Birth" to get myself prepared also. As of right now, I am planning on going as natural as possible with the labor. I am also going to remain flexible based on how well I am handling the pain, though. My main goal is to avoid having a C-Section.
The last few hours of the class was about breastfeeding. Besides the fact that it is FREE, it really is better for the baby and for me, which is why I am choosing to breastfeed. I know it will be harder and I am ready for that challenge.

My belly has been dropping slowly. I like to say that Bean is on her final descent down to her destination and she needs to put her tray table up and get her seat in the upright position. ;) I am feeling more pressure in my pelvis, but I am still having trouble breathing because she is dropping sloooowly.

We had an OB appointment this morning. We got to see one of our favorite doctors today and that made me happy. We heard Bean's heartbeat and then we had a really quick ultrasound to verify that she is in fact head down and facing the right direction. That was a huge relief for me. Brad tried to get a video of the ultrasound but the screen was really dark and it didn't come out that well. I didn't really get to see anything either but just hearing that everything is right made me feel way better.
One thing they didn't check was if I was dilated. I know a few girls who are a week behind me has been checked and are dilated. I wish I had some progress to report there. Oh well...

I finally got one of my coworkers to take a picture of me in uniform, which I like to call "The Tent". I think it makes me look a lot bigger than I really am. Haha.

The Tent

And here is my weekly belly picture.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

I do wonder what she will look like, so much. I am so anxious to meet her. Brad's mom asked us this weekend if we think she will have curly hair or straight hair. I think it will be straight because my hair is stick straight and so is *almost* everyone else on my side. It's that Navajo Indian blood we have. Haha. And I am kind of hoping for her to have brown hair like me. I just don't want a blonde haired, blue eyed little girl running around breaking hearts when she is older. Haha. And I would love to eventually have a little boy who looks just like Brad. <3

As far as I go, I am feeling good. I am moving slower and waddling more. I have been REALLY tired lately and trying to get in as many naps as I can now. Haha. I know that sleep is going to become a foreign thing to me soon, so I am trying to get as much as I can before Bean gets here. I have been getting Braxton Hicks contractions but those are pretty normal for me. Other than that, no signs of labor are happening. Naturally, we discuss places that we don't want my water to break, which is really anywhere except at home. Haha. Luckily next week I will be working from home because I really don't want my water breaking there! ;)

Our next appointment is in a week. And then a week after that is our due date! :)

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Full. Term. Wow. {37 weeks!}

We have had a very busy week since our last blog post. If you missed our last post it was the nursery reveal {finally}! I feel like I need to mention that no, her name is not Audrey and honestly I didn't even THINK about the correlation between the "A" on the wall and the Audrey Hepburn picture. Haha. I just really love Audrey Hepburn and thought it was a good place to hang her.

On Friday, our friend Anna came to visit us for the weekend. It was really nice to see her and spend time with her. The best part was that she was here in time for a baby shower that our friends Scott and Helene threw for us on Saturday! We have been really blessed this month and Bean has been given so much love, it's incredible. I can't even explain. {Thank you so much for such a wonderful baby shower Scott, Helene, Alyson, Bill, Kim, Larry, and Anna!}

Thank you for visiting us Anna! <3

On Tuesday, we went on a tour through the maternity ward. If it didn't feel real before, it sure does now. Haha. We got to see where we check in and what the delivery rooms look like and the postpartum rooms look like. It was really nice actually. The rooms were a nice size and they have a pull out couch for Brad to sleep on. Tomorrow we have an Infant Care class and Saturday we have an all day Childbirth class. Fun stuff! :)

This week I hit 37 weeks, which is technically "full term". Anything before 37 weeks is "pre-term". Between 37-40 weeks is "full term". And 40-42 weeks is "post-term". Basically I think it means that she can make her arrival any day now. But she can't because we had a pep-talk and I told her she has to stay in there until February 19th, at least. ;)

From weeks 37-40 the baby is the size of a watermelon! As you can tell in my belly picture. Haha.
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

We got back our maternity photos that our friend Ali did for us two weeks ago. I am totally enamored with them. She did such an amazing job and I am so glad that we have these special pictures taken by one of our friends to remember this amazing moment in our life. <3

Here are some of my favorites. :)

Next week we will be reporting on our classes we are taking this weekend and our OB appointment that we have next week.
Until then...

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

{19 days until D-Day!}

The Nursery - My favorite room in the house!

FINALLY! After 36.5 weeks, we have the nursery pretty much done. There are a few minor details and photos that I need to hang, but other than that, it is ready for Bean's arrival.

This was our first nursery item, if I remember correctly. It was a gift from our friends the Dolans and they gave it to us when we announced that Bean is a girl. :)

Once you enter her room, the crib is on the left side. There is plenty of closet space to hoard all of our stuff and then even more room left over for some of her things too. Haha.

 We couldn't have her walls bare but Brad didn't like the idea of hanging things above her bed for obvious reasons. But I was able to get away with some bunting flags and a hand painted letter on canvas that I did last night.

 We needed somewhere to hang our Audrey Hepburn picture and what better place than a little girl's room?

 This is her "toy corner". I was searching everywhere for an old wooden rocking horse and we got this gem on Craigslist for $20. It's a little bigger than I pictured in my head, but it doesn't help that this room is tiny. She also gets my guitar because honestly, we don't have anywhere else to put it. Plus maybe this will help her become the next Taylor Swift. ;)

This heart was given to us by a friend and I thought it was a perfect fit in her room. The curtains came with the house, but we are trying to find some dark colored ones (preferably black-out curtains) but it's really just not at the top of my priority list right now.

 This is the rocking corner. I have fallen asleep twice in that chair so far, so I think it's safe to say we picked a good one. The table that the lamp is sitting on was bought from a local antique shop. Above the chair on the shelves are a little owl city (one for each of us) and then a painting that my friend Anna did and gave me in high school. And then that is the dresser/changer that took us a total of 7 hours over two weekends to get put together.

 A horse shoe above her door for good luck.

 A lucky eye that we got in Egypt. I love the colors of this one and think that it fits perfectly in her room.

 A reminder to her that she can do anything she puts her mind to but that she has to put forth the effort.

 A close up of the shelves that are to the left of her crib. The top shelf is a postcard that my friend Anna sent me a long time ago and the bottom shelf is a green bug container that Brad painted for me when we lived in Belgium.

I really adore this bunting. <3

And finally a close up of the "a" that I painted last night.

So, there you have it. That is our small nursery. Our space was limited but I think we filled it well and practically. I think that this is everyone's favorite room in the house. I like to go in and sit on the glider and just relax. The dogs love to come and lay on the rug on the floor and they are content with that. This room is bright and welcoming but also peaceful and calming. I am hoping that Bean loves it as much as we do. 

<3 Brad, Jenna, and Bean

Blessed... {36 weeks}

Last week one of my co-workers surprised me with a baby shower at work. She was planning this for I think a month and I had NO idea. She said that a on a number of occasions people from the office almost blew it by saying something to me, but I never caught on. Thank you pregnancy brain. Haha. It was such a pleasant surprise. So many people were there celebrating this wonderful time in our life, I just wish that Brad was able to be there.

Some pictures taken by my Chief.

I wish that I had a picture of me standing in my uniform to show how tent-ish it really is. I will have to remember to take one this weekend.

After all the excitement of the baby shower, and after washing and putting away all the baby clothes that we got from the baby shower, the weekend just kept getting better. Our friend Ali flew down from Michigan to take our maternity pictures for us. Getting your pictures done by a friend (who is also an amazing photographer) is the best because you don't feel nearly as nervous and awkward. You feel comfortable with the person and you know that they want you to LOVE your photos. So it was a pretty fun weekend for us. Here is a sneak peek of one of the shots she took with her iPhone camera. (No, she did not use her iPhone camera for the whole shoot, she just wanted a few to have on her camera. Haha.)

Photo by Ali @ Alison Claire Photography

My belly grows larger every single day. You would think that it would have evened out by now, but no. And I am pretty sure I am about to lose my belly button any day now. Haha.

From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

I do have some bad news. I forgot to upload the pictures of the nursery so I don't have them with me right now. I will either add them tonight or do a post for the nursery tomorrow. Promise!

This weekend our friend Anna is coming to visit us and we are having a baby shower at my friend Helene's house. This has been a really good month. I love 2012 already. :) Then next week we have our maternity tour and baby classes. The next 26 days are going to FLY BY. Holy crap, we are going to be parents.

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Guess her arrival date! {35 weeks!}

This past weekend we took a wonderful trip to Annapolis, Maryland and I fell IN LOVE with this cute little city on the harbor. It was gorgeous and quaint and completely picturesque. We got to see the Naval Academy and the pier where the Slaves from the book Roots were brought it. We also saw tons of Midshipman in their uniforms walking around and three lonely people trying to "Occupy Annapolis" (really?!). We went out for dinner at a seafood restaurant on the waterfront and then relaxed in bed the rest of the night. It was a much needed break from being in our house.

Being silly in the hotel room :)

Taken by Brad <3

Taken by Brad <3

Gorgeous sunset

We are coming down to the wire now with only 33 days left until Bean's due date (yikes!) but I wanted to start a tally of when you all think she will be making her grand appearance because from what I have heard babies normally never arrive on their scheduled due date. While we were on our babymoon in Annapolis, we saw a sign, if you will, about when we think she will come. Our room number in our hotel was 222, so we took it as a sign and now think that Bean will arrive on 2/22, just one day after her due date. What do you guys think? :)

Our room.

Well, we had an OB appointment yesterday and it was probably the worst we have had so far this pregnancy. I recently read up on the difference between military care and civilian care for pregnancy and there seem to be a lot of differences. One of the main differences is that when you are in civilian care you will most likely see the same doctor through all of the prenatal appointments. However, in military care we have seen a different nurse, midwife, or doctor every single visit. And that honestly does not bother me, except when you run into a rude nurse, which is what happened yesterday.
This lady was condescending from the get go and I did not like her tone. She asked us if we had the hospital bag ready yet, to which I replied no because I still have 5 weeks left. And she was like "You don't want to wait until the last second, do you????" Um, no. But I don't need it to have it packed 5 weeks before she should even be arriving lady. Geez. And then I was told at my last appointment that we would be getting an ultrasound to ensure that Bean isn't breech, but of course that didn't happen either. When I asked about it, the nurse said that they normally don't do that until 36 weeks but then she said she didn't want to see me again until I was 38 weeks. None of this makes ANY sense to me. 37 weeks is considered full term and I was told that I should be being seen every week by now, but my next appointment is three weeks away. Brad suggested that we stop mentioning on the blog what we are expecting from our next appointment because it's always wrong and disappointing. So, all that happened at this appointment was we got to hear the heartbeat, they measured my uterus, and I got a strep test done. Who knows what is going to happen in three weeks. I'm starting to think these appointments are pointless. Luckily, between now and our next appointment, we have a Maternity Tour, an Infant care class, and a Childbirth class.

Brad's mom recently asked me if I think my belly has dropped any. I am going to go with no. It just keeps getting bigger. I am slowly (and sadly) watching my belly button disappear. (Please don't go little belly button.)
From BabyCenter.com:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

I know I said I was going to reveal the nursery this week, and I will, but there is so much going on in this post that I don't want to over crowd it. I will be posting the nursery this weekend though. :) It looks SO cute!

Now, before I close this blog post I want to take a few moments to mention something that happened to our dear friends Isaac and Hannah. They were expecting their first baby and Hannah was about 9 weeks behind me. She had some problems throughout her pregnancy and was on bed rest most of the time. Then on Friday, Hannah began having contractions at 26 weeks. They rushed her to the hospital and did an emergency C-Section. Samuel Isaac was born at 4:30pm on Friday January 13th and he passed away an hour later. My heart broke for them but they are strong and have God on their side. They got to meet their son and spend an our with him. They were blessed with the chance of being parents and amazing ones at that. Take a moment of your day and say a prayer for them. They are having a memorial service for him this week. I really wish we could be there with them. {Love you guys!}

<3 Brad, Jenna, & Bean

Is 9 months enough time? {34 weeks}

Okay, a pregnancy is technically 10 months long, but that first month you are still in the finding out process so you miss out on a whole month of preparation right from the start. But even as the months go on, you don't want to start doing things too early in case something happens. So by the time you are comfortable with actually preparing for this baby to arrive you are around 20 weeks along. Meaning you have 20 weeks to get a nursery together, get some baby clothes, baby gear, and mentally prepare yourself. That is just not enough time.
But here we are with a little less than 6 weeks until our due date, STILL getting things ready. With that being said, no nursery reveal this week. Haha. We have a few more minor things to do before I want to show it off in all it's beautiful glory. So let's cross our fingers for next week. ;)

We did get some of her laundry done and put away though:

Baby clothes are SO small!

We are finally doing our "babymoon" this weekend. We initially wanted to do a long weekend somewhere exotic and warm, but came to our senses and opted for something that we could afford. Haha. So we found a Living Social deal for a one night stay at a Marriott (which is our favorite hotel) in Annapolis, Maryland. So we will be going there this weekend. We are pretty excited as we haven't been to Annapolis yet and from what we have seen in pictures it is gorgeous. Plus it will be a nice break from being at home where we have so much to do. I'm ready for our babymoon. :)

Don't mind my swollen fingers, haha.

People keep asking me if I am uncomfortable and ready for the baby to come already. The answer is no. Not at all. I mean, okay, it can be uncomfortable at times. I have trouble getting comfortable for bed. I am easily winded. Pregnancy is hard. But I seriously love every second of it. I love my belly. I love her kicks and movements. I really think I am going to miss this a lot. Plus, she still has 6 weeks of growing to do.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. 

Our next appointment is next Wednesday. We will be getting another ultrasound, so maybe I will try and have Brad record a video of it. :) I'm excited to see how much she has grown from 20 weeks.

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna & Bean

The Year of the Bean! {33 weeks!}

My dear friend Ali dubbed this "The Year of the Bean" when she was sending me a Happy New Year text. I thought it was adorable and fitting, so I stole it. ;)

So we are officially under 50 days now. We only have 47 days until her due date. FOURTY. SEVEN. Where did this pregnancy go?? Are we ready? Absolutely not. Not ready mentally, physically (like can I carry around a 10 pound baby for even 15 minutes??), or in any other aspect. Luckily her nursery should be pretty much put together this weekend, which means I can FINALLY post pictures next week! YAY! I have a small laundry pile started for her with some of her bedding and clothes in it. The dresser is *almost* done. We have put in a total of 6 hours of labor into this dresser and it's still not complete. But that is because they gave us two screws that need a square tipped screwdriver which we didn't have, so we had to get one. Then we just have to hang some stuff and decorate. It is easily my favorite room in the house. :)

Brad putting the dresser together.

We spent our New Years Eve with some friends, which was nice. It was very relaxed. We watched the ball drop, listened to some Scottish guys play guitar and sing songs, laughed and had a good time. It was a very mellow New Years and I loved it. But we still miss spending our New Years Eves in beautiful European cities. We are so blessed to have been able to spend three years traveling around Europe.

New Years Eve! <3

Everyday I am feeling more and more pregnant. And not just because my belly is getting bigger. I feel it when I get up from the couch or bed, when I am walking (or waddling, rather), or when I get winded just by putting my jeans on... But yeah, my belly is living proof too. Like how I have to stand really far away from the sink when I do the dishes. Haha. And of course, there is always the kicks. She is pretty active nowadays. I think I read that now that there is more baby than amniotic fluid that her kicks are easier felt. That is a true statement. I also think that she has been getting the hiccups during the past 3 days. Brad felt them last night.

We scheduled our childbirth class and infant care class. January is actually really busy for us, so the earliest we could get into these classes were February 3rd & 4th. The only thing is, I will be 37.5 weeks along which is technically "full term". So keep sending those "stay in there until your due date" vibes, please. Haha.

The. Belly.

From weeks 33-36, Bean is the size of a honeydew! {Holy crap, I am 8 months pregnant! WHOA.}
This week according to BabyCenter.com:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Our next OB appointment is on January 18th. We were told that we would get an ultrasound during that appointment to make sure she is head down. You would think I would be able to tell by her kicks, but I have NO IDEA. Haha. I try my hardest to figure it out or even figure what she is jabbing me with but it's nearly impossible.
Oh, and my friend Ali is coming here during the weekend of January 21st to do our maternity photos! {Here is her website if you want to see her work!} I am so excited to see her and spend all weekend with her. Plus get some awesome photos done. :)

Until next week...

<3 Brad, Jenna & Bean