26 Weeks with Kellan

How far along:  26 weeks 5 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12lbs

Maternity clothes: These days I'm loving the fact that I can just live in t-shirts and sweats... No need for maternity clothes when you're on bed rest! 

 
Stretch marks: Nope!

Sleep: I can still fall asleep and sleep really well but I wake up at least twice a night with awful reflux.  The TUMS do not leave my night stand!

Best moment last week: Oh my.  Best moment?  Probably being discharged from the hospital on Thursday.  Every time we go in I am petrified that we will be kept there, so going home is always a great moment. 

 

Movement: Tons!  Any time something touches Kellan he will swat at it or kick it.  He even kicked the doctors and nurses a few times. :)  He's my little fighter.

 

 Food cravings: I've actually been craving soup and we've been blessed with some incredible friends that have been bringing lunches and dinners, some of which have even been soup!  I feel so lucky :)

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Ugh.  On Wednesday I got a phone call from my doctor saying that my fFN test came back positive.  This test checks for a secretion that is leaked when your body is preparing for labor.  A positive test can indicate that labor could happen within the next two weeks.  I am absolutely determined to prove the test wrong.  We went in this week to get steroid shots to help Kellan's lungs develop in case.  That night I woke up with contractions 3 minutes apart so we headed back into labor and delivery.  After 3 terbutiline shots, a new medication (procardia) and being monitored for several hours we were allowed to head back home to continue bed rest.  My butt is permanently parked in bed or on the couch (minus trips to the restroom and weekly photos :) ). 

 
Belly button - in or out? I think we are officially to the flat belly button stage!

What I miss: I miss my hubby!  Being at home with Callie is a true blessing, but I really miss Josh when he's at work.  Not only is he insanely  helpful but his company just can't be replaced. :) 

What I am looking forward to: I should be getting some fabric in this week to work on some nursery crafts for Kellan's room - hopefully that will help keep me occupied so I don't have to rely on the TV and books to keep me entertained. :)

 

 Milestones:  Making it out of labor and delivery with baby boy still in my belly.  Prayer works, God listens, and we are so very thankful.  

 

This week I was starting to semi freak out about weight gain and how everything will be effected now that I can't do any walking or physical activities.  After taking my weekly photo I dug through my pictures when I was pregnant with Callie and did a little side-by-side comparison and it actually made me feel a lot better!  Here's to making it as far or further than we did with her! 

 

 

 

Kellan's Nursery - The Inspirations

When we found out I was pregnant with a little boy one of the first things I thought about was how in the world I was going to decorate a BOY nursery.  We contemplated going with a baseball theme since Josh is such a big sports fan, but even with all of my hours on Pinterest searching for inspiration I just wasn't feeling it.  We talked about it a little more and decided on something we BOTH love; the outdoors.

I hit the ground running with this and decided we would go with a rustic woodlands "theme."  I really don't like the word theme... I'm not into things that are really cheesy or typical when it comes to nurseries.  I want the room to grow with the child and not have to redo it at every age milestone.  With that being said we chose lots of neutral tones, whites, greys (dark and light), blues and wood tones. 

So far we have all of his furniture in and finished; crib, dresser, changing table (we are just reusing Callie's), and rocking chair.  We've painted the walls, put up the aspen tree decals and even hung some shelves / decorations.  Josh has been working on what I think will be my favorite part of his nursery, the wood wall, and it looks awesome so far.  I put together a little board of some of the inspirations for his room, some are things we already have (antler lamp, chair, crib, shelves, aspen decals...) and some are things I am drawing inspiration from.  We still have a long way to go before it's ready for him, but hopefully we still have plenty of time to prepare. 

25 Weeks with Kellan

How far along:  25 weeks 6 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12lbs

Maternity clothes: I could live in maternity leggings.  And probably will... 

 
Stretch marks: None

Sleep: So good.  There have even been some nights where I can make it all night, but the reflux is starting to kill me.

Best moment last week: This week I celebrated my 28th birthday!  We had these great plans to go out on the town with some close friends, but when Tuesday night happened we had to go to plan B.  All of our friends were able to make it over to our house for a night in.  We all sat around talking and playing some Mario Kart the whole night.  My sweet (favorite) niece was the life of the party making her cheesy faces and we all had such a great time together.  Josh spoiled me on my actual birthday with a beautiful new Coach wallet to match my purse from Christmas and (despite being sick) it was a wonderful day. 

 

Movement: Definitely lots of movement.  This kid likes to punch through my skin.  I even had a dream one night that I was laying down and his little fist pushed until my skin was translucent and I could see every detail of his fist.  That wasn't enough for him though, next his little head popped up and took a look around.  Pregnancy dreams are the weirdest.

 

 Food cravings: None.  Nothing sounds good because my reflux has gotten so bad that everything I eat/drink makes it worse.

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: My cervix length went down with some funneling at my 25 week appointment and I was put on a modified bed rest.  That night, however, my contractions got so much worse.  They were 2-5 minutes apart for over an hour so Josh went ahead and took me in to labor and delivery.  We spent the evening there hooked up to an IV, got two terbutiline injections, some morphine and by the grace of God, my contractions stopped.  I was sent home a few hours later with strict bed rest orders.  I've now been on full bed rest for a week and do my best not to complain.  I mean, really... what is there to complain about?  I finally get to spend time with Callie and I HAVE to lay down all day... Poor me.  :)  It does have it's hard moments, but I am just so thankful that I can be on bed rest at home and not hooked up at the hospital.  Let's pray it continues to stay that way! Our next goal is to hit 28 weeks. 

 
Belly button - in or out? So close to being flat.

What I miss: Honestly?  I really miss my kindergarten students.  Those kids are incredible and I never got to say goodbye.  I miss their smiling faces and hugs in the morning... God blessed me with a wonderful class this year and I really do miss each one of them. 

What I am looking forward to: Continuing to decorate Kellan's nursery.  I just ordered some fabric so that I can get started on sewing this really adorable owl pillow!  It sells on ETSY for $42 dollars, but I can make it for less than $15, so why not? :)

 

 Milestones:  Making it out of labor and delivery with baby boy still in my belly.  Prayer works, God listens, and we are so very thankful. 

 

Be Anxious About Nothing

As most of you know, Callie was a premature little thing.  Her due date was June 12th and she decided May was her time to grace this world with her presence.   Prior to her birth I struggled with contractions and preterm labor.  At 27 weeks I was hospitalized for going into labor, after 5 days and an awful 24 hours on magnesium they were able to stop labor and I was discharged.  Going into this pregnancy I knew that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. 

At 16 weeks I took a spill at work and started having contractions.  Since then they have been pretty regular.  Anywhere from 10-40 a day.  On bad days I'll have up to 10-12 an hour.  I was diagnosed with irritable uterus this pregnancy which basically just means I will have contractions for no reason at all.  These aren't braxton hicks, they are more like labor contractions (only typically less intense and usually don't cause cervical change).  Unfortunately for me, they ARE causing cervical change. 

In a typical pregnancy you want the cervix to be between 3-5 cm until you hit about 35 weeks.  At 20 weeks we measured 2.9 cm.  I have gone in almost weekly to monitor the length of my cervix and for a few weeks we were holding on at 2.8-2.9 cm.  That was until yesterday.  I went in to see our high risk doctor and they measured me at 2.6 (maybe 2.7 at a good angle), but this time my cervix was starting to funnel.  It is basically the dilation of the inside of your cervix.  At 24/25 weeks this is NOT what you want to be seeing on an ultrasound.  Especially since it is now too late to do a cerclage.

Both of my doctors (regular OB and high risk) agreed that taking me off of work for a modified bed rest was the best option at this point.  I have been on progesterone shots since 16 weeks (taken weekly) and made the commitment that I would do whatever it took to make this pregnancy last long enough to avoid the NICU.  Sweet Callie was only in the NICU for 8 days, which for us seemed like an eternity... My heart truly aches for those who have to stay in for months at a time. 

I currently work as a kindergarten teacher, and God truly blessed me with my group of kids this year.  He really does know what He is doing...  Unfortunately modified bed rest means I can no longer see my kiddos or work.  With this brings so many new stresses.  After the issues we faced with having Callie early and not having disability insurance we got coverage shortly there after.  Right now I am on day one of modified bed rest and knee deep in paperwork for FMLA and Disability.  All I can do is fill out paperwork and pray that our disability claim is accepted.  If it is not, we will be facing several months without a paycheck. 

God is faithful, and I am fully confident that He will provide for us in this time.  However, I am still human and find myself struggling with anxiety and fear that something wont be covered and we will struggle.  This morning I found comfort reading in Luke when Jesus talks about worry.  There is no benefit to worrying, in fact it can show a lack of faith in God.  With that being said, I find myself diving into prayer constantly asking for peace that can only come from Him.  He has a plan for Kellan and our family and I just want to do what it takes to make sure His will is done. 

We will continue with weekly checkups and pray that Kellan hangs in there just long enough.  As always, prayer is POWERFUL and we ask for your prayers.  I'll be sure to keep you updated as I am able! 

24 Weeks with Kellan

 

 

How far along:  24 weeks 6 days (in the picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 12lbs (<--- span="" yuck="">

Maternity clothes: Yes!  I've misplaced my belly bands so maternity pants it is! 

 
Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Great sleep still, just hard to make it through the night without restroom breaks.

Best moment last week: After our 24 week appointment I was having SO many contractions from going back to work after Christmas break that our doctor decided to do an fFN test.  It is a test that will check for the chances of going into labor within the next two weeks.  We were really nervous about the results but were SO relived when they came back negative.  That means the chances of me having this little boy in the next two weeks are less than 1%!  Praise the Lord! We also had some more progress in Kellan's nursery!!!

Movement: Yes!  Especially when I'm eating and any time after 8:00pm.  He's already picked out a schedule!

 
Food cravings: No real cravings or aversions right now, which is kind of odd.

 
Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Still stuck at 2.8cm (cervix length) and SO happy that there has been no change.  We go back tomorrow to check again and are praying for the same number.  As soon as the number starts getting smaller my doctor is going to take me off of work for a modified bed rest.

 
Belly button - in or out? So close to being flat.

What I miss: My pre pregnancy weight...

What I am looking forward to: Honestly?  I am looking forward to spending this evening snuggled up next to my husband who just got home from a hunting trip.  Other than that, I am pretty content!

 

 Milestones:  Every week is a milestone for us! 

Weeks 20, 21, 22, & 23 with Kellan

Somebody has fallen behind on her baby bump updates!  We've been really good about taking pictures, but I have just been head over heels busy and keep saying I'll do it tomorrow.  Well today is the last day of winter break which means no more procrastinating!  Here's a little pregnancy update along with bump pictures. 

 

How far along:  23 weeks (in bottom picture)
 
Total Weight Gain/Loss: 8 lbs

Maternity clothes: I wish I could live in maternity leggings... Those along with my Blanqi tops have made dressing so much more comfortable!

 
Stretch marks: None

Sleep: Pretty good.  Just waking up once a night for a restroom break.

Best moment last week: We celebrated Christmas AND New Years over the past two weeks!  Callie was spoiled beyond belief with gifts.  We even got Kellan's nursery all started and are so excited with how it's turning out. AND we got to see little man in a sonogram the day after Christmas!  

Movement: I really thought Callie was quite the mover, but he has her beat by a long shot.  The kid moves ALL of the time. 

 
Food cravings: Pineapple, banana, orange juice and peanut butter (not together, though).

Gender: BOY!!!  

Labor signs: Ugh, lots and lots of contractions.  Last night I had 10 in an hour.  I'm drinking lots of water, taking it easy and still taking my projesterone shots weekly, but I'm nervous to get measured again at our next appointment. 

Belly button - in or out? So close to being flat.

What I miss: I miss being able to jog or do simple tasks like walk to the mailbox without getting winded. 
What I am looking forward to: Right now I'm looking forward to finishing the wood wall in Kellan's nursery and getting little details put together for decorations!  

Milestones: We received a very relieving phone call from the genetic counselor right before Christmas.  Kellan had been previously flagged in a blood test for Downs and we had done a follow up test recently afterward.  The second test showed that he is perfectly healthy and growing wonderfully, which was a HUGE relief for us.  We feel truly blessed for the great news!