Surprise!

Every December my MIL's aunt puts together a Christmas party or brunch at her house and everyone in the family always goes. It's a nice time to see family members we don't get to visit regularly, plus we get to load up on good food. So, the brunch was planned for this past Saturday and we'd had it on our calendar for a few weeks. Except, as it turns out, it wasn't just a brunch this year. It was also a surprise baby shower for me and Taylor and baby bear! We had no idea! Even my mom knew all about it, well in advance! (I should have been tipped off when everyone applauded us when we walked through the door - I just figured we were the last to show up and everyone was happy they could finally eat. Lol.) We'd been there about 30 minutes or so when Jody pulled me and Taylor into the living room and made us sit on specific chairs and wait. All of the sudden everyone whipped out gifts and cards and a banner and a cake and we realized what was happening. I was completely shocked and all I could do was turn bright red and laugh. We ended up with so much stuff and we are SO grateful to everyone who came and helped pull off the surprise. Baby bear is well taken care of and loved by so many people already. Check out some photos below! (Thanks, Gwen!)

This weekend will be spent organizing all of the items we received. I will be so glad to get everything out of the closet and put away!

Monday I had to go in for the non-stress test (NST.) I got there and they led me straight back to a small room containing a La-Z-Boy chair, a machine, a computer, and some interesting artwork on the walls (sketches of pregnant and breastfeeding mermaids, in case you were curious.) The nurse wrapped two belts around my stomach and gave me a buzzer to push any time I felt the baby move. One of the belts was to monitor the baby's heart rate (which I got to listen to the whole time) and I honestly don't know what the second belt was measuring. I'm not sure how long I was there - maybe 45 minutes? The doctor reviewed the test and sent his nurse in to chat with me. She asked me how long I'd been having contractions. I told her I hadn't had any yet. She told me they saw a few mild contractions on the monitor. I had no idea! They're just practice contractions, but still. You'd think I'd notice. Everything else seemed to be normal. I need to start figuring out the difference between a contraction and when the baby moves. If I feel 4-5 contractions in an hour I'm supposed to call them. 

Yesterday I had my ultrasound with the perinatologist. The baby weighs about five pounds one ounce right now. S/He was moving around a lot so it was difficult to get a good image of the head. The nurse advised everything looks good and the baby is in the 51st percentile. So, while everything looks "average," she was sure baby bear will be "extraordinary." They did stress that getting accurate measurements is difficult right now, and that it could be off by as much as a pound in either direction. I mean, talk about a big difference! The nurse also showed me where my bladder is in relation to the baby's head. Baby is putting all its weight on my bladder, so excuse my frequent bathroom breaks. The doc is keeping me on 2.5 mg of Glyburide in the morning and 1.25 mg at bed time. She really wants me to keep my fasting level at or below 95 and my other levels at or below 120. And I have, for the most part. It's really hard to manage some days. I feel hungry a mere one or two hours after I eat and I feel like I'm eating the same things over and over. The readings go so high if I eat too much at once or if I indulge in too many servings of carbs. (Have I mentioned that counting carbs is tough sometimes?) I honestly would LOVE to eat a whole bucket of fries from Chick-Fil-A or McDonald's. Or chug an entire two-liter of Coke. Or eat my weight in Ihop pancakes with butter pecan syrup. Or tear into a bag of Reese's Cups. Or buy Doritos like they're going out of style. It's really hard to say no to those things. But I also know that not eating any of that is for the better, and my guilt usually outweighs my cravings. Usually. The times when my readings are elevated I feel pretty bad and worry about the baby. It's a tough balance sometimes. Anyway, I get to come back next week and have another ultrasound. Maybe we'll get a better image then!

I ordered the car seat last Friday and it was delivered on Monday. Babies-R-Us doesn't mess around with delivery times! The adapter bar for the stroller will be delivered on Friday, so we will have an easy snap-and-go system. I think we will go ahead and install the car seat this weekend since I'm apparently already having contractions and I'm about 5-6 weeks away from delivery anyway.

In other news, after this week Taylor won't have to travel again until February or March!! And as of next Friday I will be on vacation until January 3. We set up our tree and decorated the house over the weekend. It's so festive! And we even bought new ornaments and stockings this year. We also have lots of fun Christmas parties to attend. This Saturday is a tacky Christmas sweater party and I found a GREAT turtleneck and sweater at Salvation Army for $5. Taylor didn't have as much luck in the sweater department, but we did find him a pretty tacky winter outfit to wear.

Weekly photo:

How far along: 34 weeks

Trimester: Third

Pre-pregnancy weight: 141 pounds

Current weight: 141 pounds

Maternity clothes: Yes. 

Stretch marks: Nothing new.

Best moment of the week: I got to see the baby on an ultrasound!

Movement: Lots of kicks and rolls.

Food Cravings: See above. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not this week.

Miss anything? I miss going to the chiropractor. :( I have too many other appointments to keep per week so I had to stop going.

Other symptoms: Shortness of breath, not able to bend over and put on shoes or shave my legs, hip and back pain has returned, hungry a lot, very frequent trips to the bathroom.  

Have you started to show yet? Yes.

Sex: It will be a surprise.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out? Outie. No doubt about it.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Moody or not moody? Moody. Lots of things annoy me that shouldn't. 

Looking forward to: Taylor getting home from his trip tomorrow and a Christmas party this weekend!