There have been many changes since my appointment last week. As of today I am now dilated to 2 cm!! It was really nice to hear some different news this time! She also said that Karys has dropped even lower - so she is getting ready! Because of these new changes, Dr Patronella discussed with Tim and I when we would need to go to the hospital. She said when my contractions are 5 minutes apart for one hour or when my water breaks is when we need to head to the hospital. It was very exciting to be able to hear that things are progressing! We are so anxious to meet our daughter!

We also had our ultrasound today and our baby girl now weighs approximately 6 pounds - which is right on track for me being 36 weeks 4 days. The ultrasound technician also informed us that our little one has quite the head full of hair already too! It was so good to see our little girl again too. This will be our last ultrasound until she is born. She has changed so much! She completely filled up the screen this time!

Since being off strict bedrest I have been moving around the house more and walking down the street to the mailbox at night with Tim. I guess all the moving around this week is what made me dilate further. It shouldn't be too much longer now! Karys could basically come at any time now!! The doctor said she would be perfectly safe if she were to come now and they would not do anything to stop it now that I am far enough along in the pregnancy.

Needless to say, I am going to keep walking and moving around the house more!! Things are looking great and we're so excited about today's news!!

Love,
Steph & Tim

Today I'm 36 weeks 1 day pregnant. And I am officially off strict bed rest!! I can finally move around my house more - meaning I can cook dinner, go upstairs and even do laundry again! It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is when you haven't been able to be mobile for an entire month!! :)

Last night I had some pretty painful contractions, a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and a lot of cramping. It lasted for several hours and each time I woke up last night I was still hurting. But I am feeling much better today - just a little cramping is all. And Karys has been super active all day today! It's amazing how strong she is. Sometimes it hurts when she moves around because of how hard she pushes out. I think she may have dropped a little lower because I'm having a much easier time breathing and because I feel a lot of pressure when I walk now.

We'll go to the doctor for an exam and an ultrasound this Friday to check her weight and everything. I'm really curious to see how big she has gotten! It's been almost 7 weeks since we last saw her.

And next Tuesday, Tim's work is throwing us a Baby Shower Lunch! It's very nice of them and we're really excited :)

We're getting really anxious lately - it's almost time to meet our baby girl!! Her due date is one month from today!!

Love,
Tim & Steph

I am 35 weeks 3 days pregnant today.

I had my weekly exam earlier this afternoon and I'm still only dilated to 1cm which is good. She said everything looks good thus far. As of Monday, I will officially be off strict bedrest and be able to resume most of my regular activities. She still doesn't want me going back to work or doing anything overly strenuous. But it will be nice to be able to walk around the house more and actually go upstairs and organize the nursery and a few other things.

Other than that, I've had some more frequent painful contractions this week, mostly late at night or in the middle of the night. I'm assuming that is from moving around more this weekend with the baby shower and everything.

Tim and I are getting really anxious about meeting our little girl. We can't believe her due date is in less than 5 weeks now!! At this point it seems more like a waiting game since it would be safe for Karys to be born now. So we are trying to patiently wait her arrival.

Next Friday is another exam and our 36 week ultrasound to check Karys' growth and progress. I can't wait - I love seeing our little girl!!

We'll keep everyone posted!

Love,
Steph & Tim

Yesterday my aunts threw me the most amazing baby shower! It was absolutely beautiful and so perfect! So many more people came than we expected and it was so nice to get to see all my friends and family that were all so excited about Karys' arrival. My aunts made so much delicious food too! And everyone was just so generous and we are so grateful! We got almost all the big items from our registry too! I put up pictures in the photo gallery of the shower. Tim and my sister put together all of them last night :) We couldn't wait! We ended up getting her stroller, playard, high chair, swing and bassinet too! I am still in shock at how wonderful people were to us. It just reminded us again of how truly wonderful our family and friends are. We couldn't be more thankful for them! It was honestly the most beautiful baby shower I've ever seen!! We're very blessed!

I was surprised at how worn out I was after the shower though. I haven't been out in weeks or moved around that much either. At the end of the shower I felt like I could have slept until morning, but I was too excited to see everything put together! :) My friends helped me organize all the baby items while Tim was building the big things and Alison washed all the towels and blankets for me. It was a big day - so needless to say I slept better last night than I have in weeks!!

Other than that, I am feeling pretty good overall. However, I am now understanding why people say the third trimester is uncomfortable! It's been the hardest so far I believe. It is very hard to move around and I am out of breath so quickly now. I also have trouble sleeping at night because my hips are starting to get sore and it's harder to get comfortable. But I haven't really been cramping or having any painful contractions so that is good. Tomorrow I will be 35 weeks so then I just have one more week on strict bedrest. Then I'll be walking and moving around more! Yay!!

Tim and I thank everyone again for all wonderful gifts we received at the shower! You all are truly amazing...

Love,
Steph & Tim

I had my weekly doctor appt this afternoon. Good news is that I'm still only dilated at 1cm - so the bedrest is continuing to work. She told me again that in two weeks she will take me off strict bedrest. I think she also plans on doing another ultrasound at 36 weeks to check the size, weight, etc of the baby.

More good news is that my test from last week for Strep B came back negative! So I won't have to have any special antibiotics during labor/delivery. I can't complain about that! They also gave me what they call a "Prenatal Passport" which has all my appointment history and bloodwork on it for me to give the hospital so they have all my records on hand.

We also picked a pediatrician too! So things are coming along great and all falling into place. I'm getting really excited about our baby shower on Saturday too! I'm excited to see all my family and friends and get out of the house for a little while.

I'm 34 weeks 3 days today. I'll go back to the doctor next Thursday again for another weekly checkup. So far little Karys is being good and staying where she needs to be! :)

Love,
Steph & Tim

Well, I am 34 weeks pregnant today. Two weeks from today and I can be off strict bedrest - I'm very happy about that because then I will be allowed to go upstairs and organize Karys' nursery and actually do some things around the house.

Friday night was the hardest night I've had so far. I was actually in tears because of the pain in my stomach. It was cramping pretty bad in waves so I took some Tylenol and took a warm bath. That seemed to do the trick because after awhile I felt a lot better. My mom said I probably had gas pains from not being able to move around the house for 2 weeks. Saturday I felt a lot better with a few minor cramps and then Sunday I had some more minor cramping. I'm glad she told me about the Tylenol though - it really helps!

We just want to say thank you again to all our friends and family because of all the support (and food!) they have given us lately. My friend's mom made some lasagna and banana bread for us a couple weeks ago and then my Nana made us some vegatable soup on Friday and my mom made some more lasagna for us this weekend too. It really helps with us not having to worry about cooking - poor Tim is already having to take up all the slack around the house so I know he really appreciates it. And then Tim's mom and my sister, Ashley, have been grocery shopping for us a few times. It's been really great to have so many people help us out. On Friday my team at work sent me a beautiful fruit basket too! And last night my sister, Rachel, gave me a pedicure because she said she felt sorry for me since my toes looked so awful and I can't reach them :) It's nice to have pretty toes again!

We have our second childbirth class tonight and we'll be going over breathing techniques so that should be interesting. My next doctor appointment is Thursday afternoon and then my shower is this Saturday and I'm really excited about that!!

We hope everyone has a great week!

Love,
Tim & Steph

I had my weekly exam with Dr Patronella this morning. This was the first time I had to go to my appointment alone since Tim wasn't able to go with me today. But everything looks good - I'm still only dilated at 1cm. I told her about my cramping and contractions and she said to monitor the contractions and that I can take Tylenol for the cramps. She said at 36 weeks she will take me off strict bedrest - so my first question was if that meant I could go back to work. She said she wasn't sure she wanted me to do that - she was talking more along the lines of walking around at home and doing stuff around the house. She still is going to monitor me weekly. So while I will be glad to not have to lay down all day, I will still have to be around the house all day. I'll take what I can get though. I'm 33 weeks 4 days pregnant today. So 2 weeks from Monday and I will be able to move around more. I'm glad for that!

Karys' heartbeat was good and strong so that is always nice to hear :) They also tested me for Strep B - a type of bacteria that occurs in some pregnant women. If I have it, they will just give me antibiotics during labor/birth so that it will not pass along to the baby. It's a standard test they do on all pregnant women. They did have to prick my finger again because there was more sugar in my urine today - joy! It turns out that it was from the cranberry juice I had right before my appointment. Lesson learned! Only water before I see the doctor from now on!

Other than that, today marks the end of 2 weeks on bedrest. It feels like so much longer, but I've kept busy and finished Karys' stocking! I am so happy to have that done! I'll have to post pictures when I get her name on it but I am very proud of it. Her's turned out better than Tim and I's did!! I went ahead and ordered another one to start on for one day when we decide to give Karys a little brother or sister - a long time from now!! :)

Our childbirth class that was scheduled for Monday was cancelled due to the ice storm that moved through Houston. So we will resume class this coming Monday and then the Monday after that will be our last one. Also, next Saturday is my first baby shower and I'm really looking forward to that. It's always really nice to get out of the house and see people! :) I never realized what a luxury that was!

Also, because of all the cramping and contractions this week, we also have our bag packed for the hospital now - just in case. No, I was not allowed to help. It was my sister and Tim who helped pack it while I directed from the bed. They wouldn't let me do anything! But it's all packed and ready to go so that's one less thing we have to worry about :)

I hope everyone has a good weekend! Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Just a little longer to go before it's safe for Karys to make her debut! :)

Love,
Steph & Tim

Good News!! I am still only dilated at 1cm so that means the bedrest has been working. My painful contractions have gone away and I just have some mild cramping a few times a day now and she said that was fine. She isn't going to put me on any medication right now since the bedrest seems to be doing it's job. I can't believe it has only been a week though - it seems like it's been a lot longer than that! Karys' heartbeat was good and my blood pressure was good and I actually lost a pound since last week! That was nice to hear since I haven't been moving very much being on bedrest. I don't think I've lost any weight in about 8 months and the nurse thought it was funny that I got so excited about it :) Dr Patronella said Karys probably weighs between 4 and 4.5 pounds and that we'll do another ultrasound at 36 weeks to make sure everything is still good and get a better idea of how much she weighs and everything. She still wants to see me weekly since I'm still dilated just to check to make sure everything is going good. So I go back next Friday again. Sometimes I feel like I see my doctor more than most of my family! :)

After the appointment, Tim and I went to the hospital to finalize our registration papers. There was no wait and it didn't take too long so that was nice. The lady was really nice and told us where to go when I go into labor and we arrive at the hospital too. It was the first time either of us had been in that hospital since it just opened in December - it is really nice and super clean! It didn't have one of those typical hospital type feels to it which we liked too :)

In addition to watching my soaps and doing sudoku puzzles, I was actually able to finish my stocking this week! Yes, this is the one I've been working off and on for the past year. I finished it Wednesday and have now started on Karys' stocking. I worked on hers for about 8 hours yesterday!! That's how boring my days are :) But boring days means Karys is staying nice and warm in my belly and growing stronger each day so I can't complain.

Tim has been absolutely amazing since I haven't been able to do much around the house. He cooks, does dishes and never lets me lift a finger! I couldn't ask for a better husband. He's just been so great about picking up the slack since I am not allowed to move around anymore. I am so lucky to have him by my side :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm looking forward to it because that's when I get to see people and Tim is home with me during the days.

Love,
Steph & Tim