Weeks 33 & 34...

33 Weeks, 4 Days... Go Bucs!!

Weeks 33 & 34 Update:

Size: At 33 weeks she is said to be a little over 4lbs and 17inches long (the size of a pineapple). At 34 weeks she is said to be 4 and 3/4lbs and 18 inches long (the size of a cantaloupe).

Movement: Lots of hiccuping and pretty consistant acrobatics. Although she does have her lazy days too. 

Sleep: I am only having a difficult time getting to sleep when I start thinking about everything we have to get done in the next month. I stay asleep for about 4 hours before I have to get up to pee. I have been able to fall right back to sleep before having to get up again, to pee of course. 

Symptoms: Just in the past week I have started to feel really HUGE! Breathing is a challenge and I seem to bump my belly into everything (the sink, counters, I've shut the car door on it). Hopefully there is enough padding and fluid to keep from doing any damage but it wouldn't surprise me if she is born with a bump or bruise or 2. 

Cravings: I would say sweets but I have always had a pretty intense sweet tooth so I wouldn't necessarily chalk that up to pregnancy. 

Weeks 33 & 34 Happenings: The Bucs season opener... unfortunately we didn't win. (for those of you who don't know my husband well, he is a DIE HARD Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fan. When the Bucs lose, our entire household, pets included, mourn.) I won't mention the fact that we have mourned 3 weeks in a row now. (Yikes!) Hopefully Brynlee's arrival will come on the heels of a few wins or her first impression of her Daddy could be pretty depressing! Onto more positive happenings like.... 

My (Florida) shower! It was nothing short of fabulous! Brynlee, Cozart and I are very lucky to have such amazing friends and family! We had good food, a gorgeous AND delicious cake, wonderful company and our little girl is sure to be the best dressed kid in town with all the adorable outfits she got! 

Here are just a few pictures from my special day... 

What weeks 35 & 36 had/have in store: Cozart and I attended our (8 hour) Child Birth class. More nursery progress (hopefully). We begin our weekly OB appointments and have our prenatal visit with our pediatrician. And the final countdown begins... Starting with today which marks one month until my last day of work before maternity leave... it can't come soon enough!!!!! 

Cole update and other Prayer Requests: Just after posting my last update on my nephew, Cole, we were informed that the poor little guy would NOT be given the ok to go home until after he has recovered from the surgery they will perform to reconnect his intestines. This could keep him in the hospital for another 2-3 months! It was a pretty rough day for my brother and sister-in-law but since then, they have  been given some good news about potentially reconnecting his intestines sooner rather than later. You can follow his progress, on his Caring Bridge Journal here. He is a tough little guy and has done so well but we are still looking for all the prayers we can get for continued progress and a healthy life for this sweet boy!

My other prayer request is for my Grandmother, Gen. Recently we were given news that she may be leaving us due to a series of little heart attacks (which she will tell you, the doctors were imagining) and a leaky valve in her heart. Selfishly, I want to request prayers for her to get better and stay with us forever, or at least until Brynlee is born and my sister gets married in June, but I know that that's not fair to her. She is 95 years young, has raised 8 children, 9 including Joanie who passed as a baby (Brynlee will be her 90th Grandchild), she has battled and BEAT breast cancer multiple times, she has an amazing sense of humor and an incredible faith in God. She is my favorite person in the entire world and I just can't imagine her not being here. I can't pray for her to stay with us forever so I pray for her peace, comfort and that she knows just how much she is loved, adored and the incredible impact she has made on so many lives, especially my own. I am officially in the NO FLYING part of my pregnancy so if I could just ask for one selfish thing, I pray that she hangs on just until I can come home to say goodbye. Thanks....

Single Digits Remaining.... YIKES!!!!

My feet have officially disappeared...

32 Weeks, 6 Days

Weeks 31 & 32 Update:

How Far & Size: 32 weeks, 6 days at the time of the 2nd photo. At 32 weeks, she is said to be the size of a squash. Weighing approximately 3.8lbs and measuring between 15.2 and 16.7 inches long. And I can feel every centimeter of her squirming! 

Name:  We received the lettering I ordered for her wall, so there is no turning back now, Brynlee is set in stone (or wood)! Still no further discussion regarding the middle name....

Love it!!!

Movement: Still moving like crazy, although she has her lazy days. I can definitely tell she is filling up any left over space in there. Even the slightest movement can about knock me off balance. 

Sleep: 4:30am seems to be my normal waking hour lately. Although, I am happy to say I have been able to fall back to sleep fairly quickly the last few nights. 

Symptoms: Well I started wearing heels again, and miraculously, the sciatic pain vanished. I guess flats aren't always the best option, especially if you're anything like me and wore 4"+ heels every day pre-pregnancy. Heartburn has become more and more frequent and has increased in severity. Tums, chocolate milk or almond milk are my saviors these days. Shortness of breath is something I seem to struggle with every morning and right after I eat.  And last but not least, I am just not comfortable sitting or lying in certain positions for very long. I know it may sound as if I'm complaining, but I can assure you I love every ache, pain, jab, discomfort, etc. They are constant reminders of this little miracle growing inside of me and how far we have come to get to this point. Which reminds me of one last symptom, I'm pretty stinkin emotional! I can't remember the last church service I sat through when there wasn't tears streaming down my face at one point or another. Even the most ridiculous of TV shows leave my eyes puffy and my nose running. (Kay and Phil renewing their vows on Duck Dynasty really had my going, just to give you an example.) 

Cravings: Root beer is still tasting exceptionally delicious, although I wouldn't say it's something I "have to have". I also, did make Cozart take me to Menchies for some frozen yogurt on Monday. :) 

Week 31 & 32 Progress: The carpet is down! Yay!! And the crib, stroller and car seat arrived today! Curtains are hung (I still need to steam them though) and her name will be once the crib is put together. 

The week ahead: I am kind of looking forward to one last week of nothing pressing before all the craziness ensues.  We have baby showers and get togethers with friends and family, classes and weekly doctor's appointments, work stuff I have to do before I am officially on maternity leave and just the overall anticipation of her arrival and it all starts next week. So for this week, my only plan is to take time to count my blessings!! 

The first of many blessings is my sweet baby nephew, Cole. I am happy to report he is doing GREAT! (if you missed his story, you can read it here) He is no longer relying on assisted breathing, has been moved out of the NICU and is very much enjoying being held by Mommy and Daddy. They hope to be able to bring him home in the next couple of weeks. I can't tell you how much I wish I could go see this little guy but for now, staring at pictures (like this) will have to do. Thanks for all your prayers for this sweet boy, they are certainly working!!! 

Is this guy precious or what!!!???

Week 30... Where has the last 6 months gone???

30 Week, 4 Days

30 Week Update:

How Far: 30 weeks, 4 Days (at time of photo)

Gender & Name: We were able to confirm, at our 3D/4D ultrasound on Tuesday, that she is still in fact a girl! Thank goodness because there is so much pink being added to this house; from clothes to toys to hair bows and even a wall in her room is pink. I ordered wooden letters (Brynlee in pink) for her wall from Etsy and can not wait until they get here! There hasn't been much more discussion about her middle name but I'm sure that conversation will resurface any day now.

Movement: She's still very active but I can definitely tell she is getting quite snug in there. There isn't quite as much room for her to wind up before she punches me in the bladder. 

Sleep: Between the sciatic pain and restless leg syndrome, sleep has become challenging. Dr. S says it's ok for me to take Benedryl which not only helps with falling asleep but I also don't wake up quite as stuffed up. I am trying not to rely on it every night but it's definitely helped when I'm desperate for some rest. I am still probably getting more sleep now,  than I will in a few months. 

Symptoms: Sciatica, Heartburn, Restless Leg Syndrome, general discomfort. 

Cravings: My sweet tooth is pretty out of control. Still loving fruit and root beer. 

Week 30 Happenings: We successfully held a garage sale and earned enough money to pay for her carpet and installation. (not to mention we got rid of a bunch of junk which is what I'm happiest about!) We ordered carpet; it will be laid next week. Cozart finished painting the trim. Mom has started on her bedding. As I mentioned, we also had our 3D/4D ultrasounds. And here she is.... "some" of you may not think she's very cute from these images but I think she's adorable. (I may be a little biased though)

The blurry patch over her left eye is actually her foot. (already working on her Eka Pada Sirsasana or Yogaidrasana)

The ultrasound tech also took measurements which indicated her weight to be approximately 3lbs 6oz and measuring 30 weeks (which was just one day ahead at the time). She wasn't very cooperative, having her feet or hands in front of her face for most of the time, but I am very happy we were able to get a few shots of her face. 

My sweet baby nephew was born last Tuesday. He was a month early and was delivered by c-section due to his recent ultrasound indicating fluid in his belly. What a little trooper he is. He spent his 2nd day in this big scary world in surgery where they found his intestines had twisted and a portion died due to lack of blood. They removed the dead tissue and created 2 stomas with bags attached for now. They removed 650ml of fluid from his belly. He's definitely our little miracle baby. Tyler and Amanda (my brother and sister-in-law) were able to hold him for the first time yesterday. It makes me tear up just thinking about it and how strong they have been for him. Little Cole Patrick Fraser is a fighter and improving more and more everyday. I can't wait to see what kind of mischief Brynlee and her cousin get into when they grow up! If you have a minute and could say a quick little prayer for Cole and Tyler and Amanda, it would be so appreciated.  

Cole Patrick Fraser born August 13th, 2013 @ 2:49pm, weighing 7lbs 4oz.
I love this little guy so much already! 

Week 31 preparations/plans: We have another appointment on Monday, it's always exciting when we get to hear her little heartbeat. I will be happy once the carpet is in (next Monday or Tuesday) and we can order her crib, FINALLY! And Cozart's Mema is getting baptized on Sunday. Not nearly as busy of a week as this last one was, so I hope to fit a prenatal massage in at sometime as well!

65 days to go.......