our little hospital test run

we will call it a test run to the hospital, because it has a more positive connotation than calling it a motherly over reaction or paranoia.

on saturday i started getting a little concerned that i wasn't feeling the baby move as much as he normally does. it seemed like throughout the week he was decreasing in how often he moved around. the doctor told me weeks ago that the protocol is usually "10 and 2"--10 fetal kicks in two hours. i have never had a problem feeling the baby that much! in fact, at first i thought she meant ten times in two minutes :) that's how active he is!!

so when i felt like he wasn't acting normal, i did the 10 and 2 test. i laid down on the couch for two hours and counted movements. i got to about six... which isn't bad. we were on the fence about whether to call in or not, but my motherly genes have started to kick in. i much preferred playing it safe.

so david called in to the hospital and the labor and delivery nurses suggested that i come and be monitored... they said this is very standard procedure for a mother feeling decrease fetal movement.

david had a shift in the ER about this time anyway, so it worked out wonderfully. he took me to the ER, then to labor and delivery, at which point they monitored me for an hour. the baby's heart rate looked great, so we were relieved. david then went to work, and my mom came in the room to stay with me (we were grateful she was in town early!) they did an ultrasound, monitored me for another four hours (mom and i sat through parent trap and mean girls) and around 11 pm i was discharged, with the docs saying that our baby looked good.

its very possible he wasn't moving around a lot because there is simply not much more room in there for him!! i'm small, he's big... you can do the math. also the doc said babies have sleep cycles of 20-30 minutes and he was sleeping for most of the ultrasound. perhaps he just didn't want to be bothered!

we are glad we went in for the reassurance it gave me. and also, it was a nice practice run of what the real thing might be like. they had me in a hospital gown, in the hospital bed, etc, so i quickly discovered what being a patient will feel like.

the resident on call that worked with us was so nice and the nurses were amazing. i was grateful for that and it makes me less nervous about my upcoming visit. we didn't want to over react or be "those parents" but we were happy in the end that we were reassured everything was fine. after five hours of monitoring, our baby looked great, healthy, and very cozy in there!!

now just waiting on him to make his first apperance!!

engagement

As if we didn't have quite enough going on this month, david and i added to the excitement by getting engaged! we are so excited!

we've wanted our focus the past few months to be on all the crazy changes---including moving to wv, david starting his residency, and most importantly, preparing for the baby. but we are glad to have added one more important life changing event to the table. we have no idea about a wedding date (everyone's first question!!) because we still want to focus on the baby for now... he will be here sooooo soon!!

our engagement night was very special. we drove up to pittsburgh and had dinner at a nice restaurant downtown... the kind of restaurant that has nicer toilet paper in their bathrooms than we do at home (sad, but true :) it was special, as we very rarely treat ourselves to that kind of place.

after dinner, we decided to take a ride up the pittsburgh incline. it was very neat! we rode up an enclosed cable car and when we got to the top, we had a great view of the city skyline.

ride up the incline....



of course i needed to use the restroom, so atop the incline we stopped at the first restaurant we saw, called the georgetowne inn.

we just planned on using the restroom, but the atmosphere in there was so nice we decided to get a table and have drinks (him) and dessert (me). the inn was soooo nice and cozy. since it was a sunday night there was hardly anyone there. the waitress sat us right against the window and we had the best and most private view of pittsburgh (see below). it was nice.

i enjoyed the best strawberry shortcake i think i have ever had. then, i went to the restroom (yes, again). when i came back, the waitress brought us both champagne flutes. i was just excited to see champagne, as i haven't had any alcohol in the past nine months!! i took a sip and mine was ginger ale :( but the good news was what was in it.... a beautiful ring!!

then david took it out of the flute, got on one knee and proposed. it was so perfect. we stayed there for awhile and talked, just enjoying the privacy of the room and such an amazing view.

we treasured the peace and quiet, realizing this could very well be our last "date night" with eachother for awhile!! soon, everything will change!! but we can't wait!

3d cutie!

yesterday we went to the doc for our 34 week appointment. our doc wanted to do an ultrasound to see the size of the baby because he had been measuring a little bit ahead. we were thrilled to get an ultrasound!

david was next door and was on his way to meet me so i tried to stall as long as i could by using the bathroom, asking questions, etc. finally we started with the ultrasound and david made it just a few moments later.

our baby was so precious! the last u/s was at 22 weeks, so of course he looked entirely different this time around.

the sonographer was so patient and nice. said he has lots of hair and his belly is large (in the 90 something percentile). he weighed an estimated 5 lbs and 5 ounces which is right on track for his age. so we might not have a big baby after all. we also saw his lungs and the sonographer said he was "practicing breathing." what a good little boy!

the sonographer then did some 4d imaging. it was very cool. we watched from the TV screen and saw very detailed, real time images of him. he looked peaceful and happy! he was also practicing sucking and he was moving all over the place.

i didnt get much work done when i got home because i just stared at his u/s pics for an hour or so. in the spirit of the holiday i dressed him in a santa's hat. he's just so cute i couldn't help it!

mostly we were happy he seemed healthy and developing well.

back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound.

showered with love :)

Last weekend baby mcconda was showered with love and presents from so many wonderful friends and family. we had two showers... one from aunts susan, julie and jennifer, and one from aunt laura and nonna. it was awesome to celebrate with the people we love. thank you to all the aunts and grandma's for making everything so perfect! now, we just need baby mcconda to GET here!!!!

Here are some pics from the showers.........

Me and the girlies

laura had a chocolate fountain... not sure who liked it more, me or autumn :)

me, austin and lauren... lauren is just a few weeks behind me!

playing a game that liz and erica let get out of control. competitive much?

ok, awful pic of me, but this is the baby's bedding... so baby and so cute!! can't wait till he's all wrapped up in it :)

my sisters did a great job on the decor!

full of thanks!!

this year i am especially grateful for the wonderful things in my life.

im thankful for a healthy, easy and enjoyable pregnancy. though i haven't felt perfect, and at times it is tiresome, i really have been blessed with a relatively easy past 7.5 months. there's not too much i can really complain about.

im thankful for my family and their endless supply of solicited (and unsolicited) advice...

im thankful for my friends (both new and old and now, both near and far)

im thankful for God who always takes care of me, never leaves me, never disappoints me, and loves me despite the many mistakes ive made and the many flaws i have.

im thankful for an easy and happy transition to west virginia (for the most part :) though i never wanted to move away, there are many good things that have come from it. i have learned that you have to carry your happiness with you wherever you are and it is always your own choice whether or not to be happy. i also learned that sometimes you cant get everything you want in life exactly like you want it (booooo!)

and lastly, i am thankful for david-- the most supportive, encouraging, hardworking, and funny partner. i never brag about him on the blog but he deserves credit. the boy works so hard and never complains. despite a crazy and demanding schedule, he still attends doctor appointments (some 6 hours away!) picks me up milkshakes when i have cravings, listens to me babble about registries and nursery decor, and sometimes even reads my baby blog : ) he is going to be the best dad!! i couldn't have picked a better father my child. that is what i am MOST grateful for this year.

oh, and im thankful for peppermint chocolate milkshakes from chick fil a.

i am not thankful i cant get them on sundays : (

bowling ball babies

some families pass down impressive genetic traits. like beautiful baby blue eyes or curly, shiny hair. what trait do the women in my family pass down? apparently, BIG babies. like, really big.

my mom said all four of us were well over 8 lbs, with julie being over 10 lbs at birth. my sisters, too, have set remarkable precedent for big babies with ethan at 10 lbs 8 ounces and zoe at 11 lbs 2 ounces. (no, that is not a typo!)

so, i shouldn't have been surprised at the doctor's yesterday when she said that i was "measuring ahead." "What does that mean," I asked her, as i thought we were very confident on the due date. she said it means that my due date is not in question, but rather, that he is measuring larger than typical for 28 weeks. well, great.

i mentioned to her that my family had large babies and this was all she needed to get the discussion rolling. while she's not concerned it will mean anything unhealthy for me or the baby, she said we will definitely have to take it into consideration as i try to have my natural, non c-section, no epidural delivery.

she said its one thing to not have an epidural... it's another to not have an epidural and vaginally deliver a 10 lb baby. in fact, she mentioned that after a certain weight we should probably consider a c-section, given that i have no precedent as a first time mom that i am...ummm... big enough down there.... to handle it. not exactly the news i wanted to hear, but at least i heard it now and can be considering it.

david was busy at work and wasn't able to come to the appointment. to add a cherry to the top he informed that his family too is prone to having larger babies. well, smuge.

still hoping to not have to go that route but staying flexible to whatever happens.

thanks mom for such "special" genes :)

Momma the mall walker....

I have hit a new level of sacrifice for this child growing inside me that I never thought i would. it was one thing to ease up on the diet cokes, add a little milk to my cereal in the mornings, and yet another to entirely lose the ability to wear any pants in my closet that aren't made of elastic. but this is a new kind of sacrifice.

momma is now an official mall walker. it is so sad. david laughed and said, "i always made fun of those people!" i did too. i feel like even my unborn child can feel the embarrassement of joining the mall walkers club. but my yoga instructor mentioned that woman who want to have an all natural birth should--as a prerequisite--be walking about 3 miles per day prior to delivery. so i am trying to get in at least 2 miles a few days a week.

originally i was walking outdoors like a normal person. but it has been cold here lately (we had snow on saturday!) and the hills outside were killing me. at least the mall is a flat walk.

i bought a pedometer that attaches to my sweatpants (cool!) so i actually wear it when i walk to measure my distance. i learned quickly that walking in the mall can be VERY dangerous.... here are some of my daily distractions:

i have learned to leave my wallet in the car and not to stop at any store for shopping. i strictly stick with my laps around the perimeter... if not, this could end up a very expensive hobby!

soon it will be getting very crowded with seasonal and holiday shoppers getting in the way of us "regulars." sigh... the things we do for love :)