The Countdown....

up until this point yes, we have been counting down but even starting at 4 weeks the count down seems so far away and long drawn out lol so now that we are in the last 10 DAYS!! The countdown has become completely real and its now just DAYS AWAY!! I have been taking daily pictures now so I can show the last 10 days of the pregnancy provided we actually make it to the c-section date.
10 DAYS....

9 DAYS.....

8 DAYS......

7 DAYS......

6 DAYS.....

5 DAYS....

4 DAYS....

3 DAYS....

2 DAYS.....

1 DAY.....

THE DAY!!!! :) eeeekkkkk.......

OFF TO THE HOSPITAL WE GO!!!!!

Tomorrows D-day.....

As of tomorrow I will have been pregnant for 273 days - 39 weeks - 9 months!!! Today has been such a crazy and boring day! lol yes ones day can be boring and crazy at the same time. Ethan cuddled with me an extra long time this morning since I wont get to cuddle with him for 4 days at least, and then we made breakfast and got ready for the day with him spending time with us and watching tv. Later we went to lunch with Bob & Lorrie as they took Bubba for the evening and will be keeping him until Wednesday and then Angela is keeping him Wednesday night. Shauna is staying with me at the hospital over night tomorrow and hopefully for an additional night as well, I don't expect her to stay the whole time but if she wants to that's awesome! We will arrive at the hospital at 7am and then surgery will start at 9am....which means in less than 12 hours we will be in the OR getting ready to meet our little princess. We are telling all family before posting it anywhere else and we aren't letting Ethan see any pictures of her because we want him to be excited to actually see her at the hospital. I'm so so so so excited. I doubt Ill be going to bed any time soon but I am going to relax and watch alittle TV with my hunny and try to catch a few zzzzzz before tomorrow. I probably wont be posting anything for a week or so but well see how I'm feeling. Good night all :)

Belly Casting

Since we never made it far enough to cast my belly with the boys we wanted to make sure we did it this time. My oh my what a big mess it makes lol but we had so much fun doing it. We did it with me standing because when I sit she tends to hide into my back and make my tummy look smaller than it actually is. Shauna started the wrapping process and we let Ethan do a few strips so he felt involved also. The cast had to dry for a day and I really want to decorate it and make it super cute but Shauna is scared that if we mess up the decorations its the only cast we have so well see, but it was super fun to do!!

Pre-Op Appts

It's that time, pre-op time, eeeekkkk! Yesterday we had our pre-op appt with my OB where I did the normal blood pressure which was 107/73 and my urine test which was normal. We got to see McKenzie for a quick second and the Dr said she should be around 8 lbs at birth. He went over the process of the c-section, that it will take around an hour, that he can not drop the curtain for me which made me kind of sad, and that Shauna can cut the umbilical cord after the nurses actually have McKenzie. He told us to arrive around 7am and the surgery will take place at 9am unless anything comes up that we get pushed back. I did gain 4lbs in a week and a half but I also was weighed on a different scale than usual so Ill blame that lol I then went to the cardiologist and got my medical release from him, the report still indicated that I had small percardial effusion but according to the cardiologist it isn't enough to be concerned with and I am released for suregery. :)

Today I went to the hospital to do all my pre-op stuff which included filling out all the consent forms going over who will be in the hospital with me(Shauna) during the surgery and staying with me overnight. I got some iodine soap I have to wash with Sunday night and Monday morning. I am not allowed to eat or drink after 1am on Sunday night and my blood work will be done at the hospital Monday morning before the surgery. :)

Finally I had my last NST. McKenzie had great fluid levels and the nurse loved how well behaved she was being on the monitors she said she wished all babies were this good. She said my blood pressure looked good 92/64 and that I am good to go. :)

WE ARE READY TO HAVE A BABY!!!!!

Ethan's April Update

April has been full of fun things with little man since its the last couple of weeks before we will be a family of 4 instead of 3. Last weekend we took Ethan to City Walk at Universal Studios he liked to walk around and look at all the cool things and we went to dinner while we were down there. He enjoyed it alot and thought it was so fun. We've also been spending time outside, so much time that he actually has a little tan lol He's getting really good on his scooter. :) We went to see the neurologist for the results of his EEG test that he had done, the Dr said everything looks normal and he saw nothing that was irregular on his test, he said we will do a CT scan on his head to make sure there isn't anything else that might be an underlying issue but so far all is good. The Dr said well continue to watch it over the next 6-12 months and basically try to watch for things that trigger it and as long as it doesn't get worse we wont need to do anything as far as therapy or anything additional. We have been practicing riding his bike its still taking some time to get use to thou. He also has made me so proud that he not only knows his whole ABC's and can now recognize them, hes learning to sound out the letter also :) My little man is growing up!! We will find out by May 3rd what schools he has gotten into so we can pick the best school for him and I hope that we really really get our first pick but well see.

All about Ethan:

1. Whats your favorite color?
Green

2. Whats your favorite toy?
Dinosaur Train

3. Whats your favorite TV show right now?
Doc McStuffins

4. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Animal Explorer

5. What kind of food do you like?
Rice

6. Tell me your favorite animal?
Hippos

7. What do you like to do for fun?
Scooter

8. What's your favorite number?
10

9. Whats your favorite movie?
E.T.

10. How old will you be on your birthday?
six!

38 weeks

Only 7 more days until McKenzie will be in our arms and we will finally be able to see what she looks like, what color her hair is, her eyes(although we wont know for sure for several weeks) and how big she actual is! This week she has dropped quite a bit and is now putting way more pressure on my pelvic area which isn't that comfortable. I now get heartburn every time I eat fruit which kind of sucks because I love fruit right now so I'm still eating it but paying for it later lol I have really only been swollen when we go on a car ride and my feet are dangling. I have 2 NSTs left and then I have a pre-op appointment on Thursday. My NST today went well she passed with flying colors and on the ultrasound was smacking her lips around and sucking it was so funny. The ultrasound tech told me that she will probably only be an additional 7-9oz compared to what the ultrasound said last week, and since the ultrasound was off with the boys by 6oz I'm hoping this still means she will be around 7lbs 14oz to 8lbs 3oz. Ive always been saying that there will be a 12 somewhere in her birth stats whether it be born on April 12th born within the 12th hour or 12 minute, or something with 12oz. Well see if I am actually right on the 12 lol I have been relaxing at home and just trying to take it easy, got my nails done today and getting a pedicure tomorrow getting all pretty before our little princess arrives. :) We are beyond ready and are so close to being new mommies again!! yay!!!

 Shauna's favorite picture of me this whole pregnancy I think......

 

 

Symptoms-

heartburn

pelvic pressure

swelling

cramping

back pain 

Last minute emotions.....

Throughout the pregnancy I have experienced quite a bit of emotions from crying for no reason, to being super happy, grumpy, angry, scared, etc. but up until now I haven't actually had time to dwell on any of them and just figured they were all pregnancy related. Well now as I gear up to the last days of being pregnant 19 days and counting, I want to reflect on some emotions that Ive been experiencing recently......

Overjoyed-
I am beyond overjoyed to be the mommy of a newborn again, to be able to have experienced what has been a pretty normal pregnancy, almost making it full term(next week I will be) and being able to watch Ethan grow up and have a little sister with him always and forever.

Excited-
I'm sooooo excited to see what this little princess looks like, Will she look like me? Will she look like Ethan? What color hair will she have? Eyes? I know she will be gorgeous but just to be able to hold her and see her in my arms, in Shauna's arms, in Ethan's arms looking up at us and just being as innocent as she can be.

Scared-
Having surgery, another cesarean, being cut open and going thru abdominal surgery which any surgery of any kind is scary and I know this is all route, but I'm so very scared of the pain I will feel after, of the recovery time with a newborn and a 5 year old. The actual surgery is scary too, I cant feel my legs, I'm being cut open through all my insides and they are being moved around. I watch to many reality shows of people getting tools left in them lol I should stop. I know I will have tons of help after she is born but doing the surgery thing all over again is scary, very very scary!

Saddened-
Yes, I'm very sad because I'm am approaching the final weeks of my pregnancy and this is the last time I will ever be pregnant, I know our family of 4 will be perfect but just the thought of never having another child(I still will be able to) but we have decided that there will be no more kids which is OK with me but just knowing that this is the last time Ill see a positive pregnancy test, feel the movements of a tiny baby moving inside me, all the not so pleasant feelings even though they suck Ill miss them lol and just not being a mommy to another one :-/

All of the above......
This pregnancy has been so different compared to the previous pregnancy and yes even though they were twins and shes a singleton it still seems so different from 1st trimester symptoms-nausea, bloated, sleepy, hungry to 2nd trimester symptoms- heartburn, indigestion, feeling her move, to 3rd trimester symptoms- thins Ive never even experienced with the boys at all the rolling, tumbling, pressure, and just the overall fact that I have made it this far. Its been 10 weeks longer than the boys were born and I am absolutely blessed to be able to experience all the things that I have thus far. There has been some complications but nothing to bad and some scary things but they have all worked themselves out. I absolutely LOVE the feeling of being pregnant, I LOVE the feeling of being able to grow a small human being into a baby that will be able to live outside the womb on her very own. I LOVE feeling her inside me moving, kicking, rolling, and having hiccups. The fact that this is pretty much my last time getting pregnant ever does make me very sad but also knowing that if we decided we want to have another we will have the option but I think were done. I am more than excited, words cant even explain how I feel and how rejoiced I am to be a mother again and be able to see her precious little face. I'm getting so close and even though I am filled with excitement, nervousness, anxiety, etc I could not be happier that its so close to meeting our princess!!!

37 weeks

14 more days until her scheduled arrive could be less if she decides she doesn't want April 15th as her birthday lol She is sitting much lower and I get several sharp pains in my girlie areas that sometimes take my breathe away, she likes to go so high up with her butt that its literally underneath my boob and I can't breathe lol and she kids me on the right side while she pushes her butt out on the left side. She punches my bladder and sometimes what feels like my hip bone, I love all the different movements and she gets the hiccups 1-2 times a day which I think is so neat, Ethan likes to put his head on my tummy when she gets the hiccups and his head moves lol its cute. He loves to feel his sister move and hes getting more and more excited that she is coming soon he said he cant wait to kiss her chunky cheeks ♥ I have 3 more NSTs and 1 more Dr appt before she is born! I am doing last minute things that I feel need to be done before she is born, but we are ready if she comes now :) I keep having crazy weird dreams that make no sense at all and they seem so realistic that when I wake up I feel so exhausted :( I'm waking up quite a bit to go potty which would be ok besides the dreams that make me so tired. McKenzie's movements hurt sometimes but I still love them and on Sunday Shauna swore that when she was watching her move around she could see her little toes on my side, interesting and creepy lol, this week we will hit single digits and I'M OFFICIALLY CONSIDERED FULL TERM!!!! yay yay yay

Symptoms-
exhausted
pelvic pain/pressure
back pain
swelling
heartburn

37 week Dr. appt

We are now to weekly Dr appts and to our surprise this Dr visit was pretty quick also. My BP was 109/72 which is good, urine tests were good, and I didn't gain any weight! woohoo I have went from 191lbs on my home scale (around 196lbs on Dr scale) to I'm currently 245lbs so I have gained quite a bit but the Dr doesn't seem to be worried about it at all. She did a quick ultrasound to check her weight. She said she was measuring a week ahead still and is 7lbs 11 oz. OMG almost 8lbs already and I still have 2 weeks?!? She said that she wants me to get the echo of my heart before the cesarean but I have to wait for the medical group to approve it so who knows if it will be done before the actual c-section date. I have my pre-op appt with my actual Dr that will be doing the cesarean. I'm not sure what all he'll do but I do know the hospital will call me a couple days before for blood work and such.

This past Wednesday we had an appointment with the specialist a growth scan to make sure shes growing properly and that everything looks good like my fluids, her bladder, kidneys, tummy, etc. During the scan she said that she is so far down on my cervix and so low that she couldn't even see my whole cervix, she said that if I get unbearable contractions or my water breaks to head to hospital because I can go pretty much any day, and she confirmed that our little girl is actually quite the BIG BABY lol and is measuring 7lbs 11oz and that I'm actually measuring 2 weeks ahead at 39 weeks 2 days(I'm 37 weeks 2 days) She said she can gain up to a 1/2 a pound every week until delivery so she could very well be around 8lbs 10-13oz at delivery but also the ultrasound machine can be off by 8oz give or take plus or minus so she might be a little smaller than she is measuring or larger lol the machine was off by about 5oz bigger with bubba so well see :) Looks like well have a big healthy chunky princess on our hands :)

♥ Easter Sunday ♥

Apparently mommies never learn that when the holiday is the next day and it involves any kind of gifts for me kiddo he will wake up super early and want us up also, so why do we go to bed at 1:30am lol I filled Easter eggs and put together his Easter basket and prepared the Easter bunny's arrival. The next morning, He came in our room at 7:45am yes this is early for us lol I managed to keep him cuddling with us until 8:30am He told me that the Easter bunny had come and he peaked lol little sneaker. Once we came out of the room he was so excited to see all the eggs hidden around and when he came out he saw his basket and the goodies mommies had brought him too. He went through what mommy brought first then the Easter bunny basket and decided it was time for his egg hunt. He did very good, the Easter bunny hid 40 eggs and he managed to find about 35 of them without help, I did have to tell him hints to find the last 5 or so. After that he counted his eggs and started taking out the candy from them, and yes he even had candy at 930 in the morning lol

After our morning Easter activities we got ready for the day because we were going to Grandma Lorrie's and Papa's house for Easter Sunday with the whole family. Shauna made some pin wheels, and a veggie pizza all by herself and I pretty much just helped prepare and with clean up. There was so many goodies at their house. Grandma & Papa set up an egg hunt for the kids and Ethan got a basket from them as well as from Auntie Angela & Uncle Mike, spoiled little boy lol It was quite chilly outside so we only went outside to take pictures lol and for a little scooter time. Mike BBQ'd ribs for the first time ever and they were amazing. Dad made chicken and mom made all the fix'ins everything was so so good! We even had cheesecake for dessert. :) Yummy it was a great Easter!!!!

HAPPY EASTER!!! 2013 ♥