The end of this pregnancy has been rough on me. I have struggled with guilt during this last trimester because most of our days have been spent hanging out around the house and watching too many cartoons. If I'm up walking or standing for too long I get super achy fast and feel like my stomach muscles are being ripped apart because my belly is so heavy, though. I have to keep reminding myself that this won't last forever and soon I will be back in Super Mom mode.

I had an ultrasound yesterday afternoon to check baby's weight because he has been consistently measuring two weeks ahead at every appointment... and according to the ultrasound Aiden weighs 10lbs 5oz!! (This explains why I have been in so much pain!) Since I had a such difficult L&D with Joel (and he was only 8lbs 2oz!) and because of a few other concerns, my doctor has scheduled me for a c-section. I have never had surgery so I'm a little nervous about it. If I'm being totally honest though, I'm more nervous/worried about how Joel is going to handle everything. It makes me cry just thinking about it!

Please keep us in your prayers -- that everything will go smoothly next week with the csection and recovery, and that we (especially our sweet Joel) will all adjust quickly to having a newborn in the house.

38 weeks 3 days pregnant
sorry not the best photo
it was taken during big brother's bath time :-)

31 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I had my third ultrasound with the high risk OB. Baby Aiden is still looking healthy and showing no signs of having Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. It was awesome to hear the OB say "baby boy's heart and brain look great, praise God!" He still recommends we continue to with our plan to have genetic testing for Aiden shortly after birth though. Unfortunately, as I have mentioned before, we have to face the reality that the ultrasound could miss something... BUT.. we are praying that Aiden will be TSC-free, and the genetic testing will only give us peace of mind early on.

At my last appointment with my regular OB I was measuring two weeks early. The ultrasound showed that Aiden weighs 04lbs 11oz (which is big for 30 weeks) and looks as though he will be tall just like his daddy and big brother. I am set up to have another ultrasound in seven weeks to check his weight again. Joel was 8lbs 2oz and I had a difficult time delivering him (I was able to do it with assistance but I ended up with tearing and needing stitches) {you can read about his birth story here} so my OB wants to monitor Aiden's weight to make sure he doesn't get too big.

I am thankful this pregnancy has been going so well. The hardest part has been finding time to rest. Resting is not easy when you have a 3 year old. When I try to sit or lay down I usually have to jump right back up because of Joel. By the end of the day I have to crawl into bed because I am so sore. Now that I'm getting closer to the end of pregnancy I'm starting to feel nervous.. not really about labor, but mostly about how I will manage taking care of a newborn and a 3 year old. If you have any tips on how to make it an easy adjustment or how to take care of two without losing all my hair.. please share!!

Oh The Glory Of It All! *UPDATED*

Thank you for all the sweet comments!! Your words and prayers mean so much to me! I wish I could explain how I'm feeling right now, but I don't even know where to start! I guess I'm still in shock! I have definitely been praising God non-stop since I saw those two pink lines, though! :)

Yesterday after I took the test I had that "ok.. now what.." feeling. I figured the next step would be calling the doc to make an appointment.. well apparently I was wrong. I called the medical center's appointment line and I was told that I can't be seen by a doctor until I'm 30 days late. Is that normal, or is it just the crappy military medical center I go to??

Since I couldn't get in to medical for a pregnancy verification test I decided to go to a local women's resource center that I had heard about at church. (The women's resource center offers free pregnancy testing among other things.) When I first arrived at the center I was nervous.. I was worried that the home test I had taken earlier that morning was wrong. Well, I'm happy to say that it was positive!! :) Before I left the center a counselor prayed over me and I cried my eyes out! God obviously knew I needed peace & to be reminded to trust Him with this pregnancy because the counselor reminded me that God already knows the will for this baby and I just have to trust Him!

*UPDATE*
Oh, and I completely forgot!! The nurse at the women's resource center said I'm about 5 weeks, and my due date should be around February 12, 2011! My dad is super excited about my due date because it's close to his birthday, which is Feb 14! :)

Hope For The Hopeless!

"With man this is impossible, but not with God;

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD." ~Mark 10:27

I'M PREGNANT!! :) I could hardly believe my eyes when I took the test this morning! I stood there in shock at first.. rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing it right.. then cried and laughed at the same time! J is out of town visiting his mom (because she has been in the hospital) so I immediately took a picture and emailed it to him. I then called him and told him to check his email ASAP. His first reaction was "are you serious???!" I wish I could have seen his face. :)

I know most women don't tell everyone right away but I just had to tell y'all! Y'all have prayed for me through this journey and I'm so thankful! Would you please continue to keep me in your prayers though? Pray that I will have a healthy and joyful pregnancy. I'm so excited and scared right now. I'm sure everyone feels this way during their first pregnancy though! :)