Go Go Power Rangers.....

....That is what I was planning on saying at the exact moment my water broke. Anyhoo....

This will be the last "pregnancy post" I make. After a week of Preeclampsia testing, my OB said today at my 37 week appointment that all my numbers are in the range of a "Mild Preeclampsia" diagnosis and that inducing at 37 weeks is usually prescribed. Which happens to be today, Wednesday, as it is now 2:26 a.m. So at some point after 5:00 a.m. I should be getting a call from the hospital letting me know at what time I need to come in.

The baby is still doing great though. In fact, much to Dr. Bray's surprise, I was already dilated 3cm and the baby's head is right in the pelvis (is that right?). He is such an amazing doctor and he truly cares about his patients. I know this because most inductions take place on the OB's "on call" day, but Dr.Bray is not on-call until next week and he said that out of safety for me and the baby, it would not be best to try to wait until that day.

I really should be sleeping and I have not gotten much sleep in the past 2 days so I thought that I would be passed out by now :( I can't sleep though, my nerves have got the better of me. Now that I know that I will be delivering this baby today/tomorrow it is seriously like waiting for Christmas. For the record, I may be 25, but I still get those childhood feelings that make it impossible to wait or sleep the day before Christmas. LOL! Hopefully I will get some rest before the "hard contractions" kick in!

I can't believe how quickly this whole pregnancy has passed! My mind is a whirl thinking back over the past months. All the little milestones seem like yesterday, yet they really are "a long time ago in the pregnancy". There has been no slow down. Even today, it seems like just a minute ago it was 11:10am as we were sitting in the doctor's office and now it is almost 3:00 a.m.

I have always wanted to be a mom. I know it is the calling that God has on my life and I have waited so long, holding on to God's promise that despite what the doctors say "I will have babies".  So why am I so scared to the verge of tears at this moment? Is is the unknown of the delivery process that will be taking place? Is it my heart, mind, and soul getting ready to release all fear to be replaced by the absolute love that comes at the moment they place this little blessing from the Lord into your arms? Is it in the hope that I am in the exact place God needs me to be to be the mother I am suppose to be to this baby and still be the wife I need to be to my husband? I really don't know for sure, but what I do know is that God loves me and he has a plan for our little family. When the world says no way and that there is no way we can make it, God will be there saying "Trust in me for you have already overcome the world". This is the encouragement that I hold onto as I prepare to enter a new chapter in my life. Maybe that's it. There were similar feelings when Larry and I started a new chapter to our life 6 years ago when we started dating, and then again on October 28, 2006 when we got married. There is definitely some sadness to ending the chapter of "Just the two of us" and beginning "Baby makes three". But again, that sadness will be swept away to oblivion the moment this baby is placed into our arms.

Over the past few days I have been thinking about the little man that I want to raise up for the kingdom of the Lord. This is what I have come to pray:

A heart like King David, who was willing to become undignified for his father in heaven.
A love like Jonathan, who was willing to stand up for the "brother" that he loved, no matter the cost.

The strength of Noah, who was willing to withstand ridicule for following direction of the Lord.
The courage of Moses, to stand before mighty pharaoh and demand that he let the Lord's people go.

There are so many men in the Bible whose qualities I want for Brody to have. Then I am reminded, that the amazing qualities I would choose for my son, compare nothing to the qualities that God has already instilled inside this babies heart. So I change my focus and pray:

Lord, always shape and mold me to be the mother that I need to be to raise this child in your light. I pray that he would see love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness, and gentleness in me. And when I do wrong, allow pride to fall away and for me to humble myself before you in forgiveness, to teach him that when we make mistakes we have a father in heaven who loves us even when we fail. I pray that my actions would never cause this child to want to turn away from his first love. Instill in me a clean and pure heart, so that I may raise a child who has a clean and pure heart. Help me to remember that while he may be my son on earth, he was yours first and always will be. Amen.

Well, I am starting to get a little sleepy. Apparently late night blogging is just what I needed to help me get sleepy.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has kept us in your prayers. I know that Lord has heard them all. I am blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

God Bless you all, and I can't wait to introduce the new member of the family the next time I am able to get on here.

Love,
Kristina- soon to be mommy to a little boy sent from heaven!

What happened to the past 36 weeks?

I can't believe that I am in my 36th week of pregnancy. The time is just flying by! There has not even been a moment of slow down and I am beginning to realize just how little time I have left being just a wife. Change truly is imminent. I realized that I have not posted anything since July 2nd, so I should probably try to catch up on things that have been happening.

The 4th of July was a quiet and beautiful day. We went with my parents to some friends who live on the Mukilteo/Everett Waterfront. It was so amazing to see the fireworks all across the waterline. There were a few moments where there was a big boom and it startled the baby a bit and I felt little hands & feet kick in all directions...lol!

On the 9th, we had our Maternity Photo Session with our dear friend Kami at Mukilteo Beach. It was so much fun, even for me (because I hate having my photo taken). But seriously, it was so much fun and she is so creative and wonderful behind the camera! I can't wait to see the final prints. She has a few sneak peaks you can check out on the following link: KAMLYN ICENHOWER PHOTOGRAPHY!

The end of week 34 and beginning of week 35 brought on some unexpected and unwanted pregnancy symptoms. Because of the few days of heat, I had some pretty bad swelling in my feet and legs. My 35week prenatal appointment went well my blood pressure was down for the 3rd week in a row and I was so happy. My blood sugar levels were also in a healthy range which meant no medication..... Then we get into week 36!

On Tuesday I had my 36 wk prenatal appointment. A few days prior I started to get really bad headaches, was seeing bright spots, and the swelling in my feet got worse and it moved into my hands. During my appointment my blood pressure was taken again and this time it was 152/106. When my OB came in he said that after we were finished with today's appointment I needed to go straight to the hospital for monitoring. Basically, I had some classic symptoms of preeclampsia and he wanted me to be monitored before making any decisions. So we spent 5.5 hours at the hospital. My blood pressure was all over the charts during that time. So I was finally released but had to do a 24hr urine collection and blood draw, I have to go to the hospital every 3 days to do stress test and monitoring (Saturday's & Wednesday's), and I am on light bed rest at a 1:3 ratio (1hr "up" after 3hr "rest"). So now we are playing the waiting game and hopefully we find out on Tuesday, at my next appointment, how all my tests came back. I would prefer to not be induced early, but i want to make sure that we are not in danger.  FYI: The baby has been doing great. His heart rate was perfect and the ultrasound showed that he was in the head down position and his lungs were working. Dr.Bray just may usurp my authority and give the baby an eviction notice first! LoL!!

As much as I love having this little one inside my belly, I think I am done being pregnant...lol! Time is almost up and soon he will be here with us!

Well that is pretty much all that has been happening. Thank you to everyone who has been praying! I appreciate your prayers!

Love,
Kristina

Freedom..........

Well at least the freedom from England anyway. July is here and I still have 6 (+/-) weeks to go until I am finally free of pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, although it has been rough, there have been many enjoyable moments and I will be sad when I have to share him with Larry and the rest of the world. I thought that I had experienced all of the different movements that the baby could possibly do in the womb. I was wrong. Today he started kicking my back bone. It is very uncomfortable and I keep feeling this vibration shoot up my spine. I thought he was suppose to get less active as he got bigger?

This past week has been pretty good. Thankfully I have only gotten morning sickness once and it wasn't really that bad. My vision has been a little blurry and my eyes have been watering like crazy. I have also had a few headaches and a little bit of dizziness. I definitely am starting to feel "off centered". My hips feel like they may crack at any moment. Which is not so great a feeling when you already can't sleep on your back and tummy. And a pillow top mattress is not my best friend right now as it sinks in and I feel like a beached whale that can't move. However, I do have my 2 best friends right now and they are the BOPPY MATERNITY PILLOW & PHYSICAL THERAPY BALL. They help to provide a tiny bit of comfort when you are the least bit comfy.

Now that the nausea has gone away I have had a few cravings:
> Cheerios and milk
> Pepperoni, Marinara, Green Pepper, Onions, White American on Wheat from Subway
> Red Cherry Icee (not slurpee)
> McDonald's French Fries
> McDonald's Mushroom Burger with no mayo but add the tiny onions (OR)
> Jack In The Box Sourdough Grilled Chicken with no mayo and add honey mustard

If I had the money I think I could eat those things everyday...not good for me, but it would be PERFECT and I would be content.

I still have been having slight contractions, but, I have correlated them to not drinking enough water. So I have been trying to increase my water intake, only it is really hard to drink water from the tap lately as it just tastes funny.

I am trying to think of things to keep myself busy. I am still not sleeping at night and it is only okay when I do not have to be anywhere the next morning. It is also nice because I am asleep when Larry is at work and I am not alone, but then I am alone and up while he is sleeping.

Then we have our cat who whines because he wants to go outside or he wants to be held. Gus definitely knows that something is going on...and even weirder is that Larry has become the " Gus whisperer". He has pretty much figured out exactly what Gus' meows mean. Hopefully that talent will carry over and he will become the "Brody whisperer"...lol! There is also lee-loo who for a guinea pig is quite quiet unless we forget to give her apples or parsley which causes her squealing to start and she won't stop until she gets something. Crazy animals! And in case you are wondering, I have not prayed for patience! God just has a sense of humor. If you disagree take a look at the platypus....


Well now that I have gotten completely off topic, I think it is  time to try and go to bed.

Hopefully Brody will have a sense of humor in about 18 years as he is going through his baby book and sees all my lovely pregnancy blogs about platypuses and other wonderful unrelated things.

Happy Soon To Be 4th Of July Everyone! And thank you to all the men and women who are serving and who have sacrificed it all for this country! God Bless you and your families!

Love,
Kristina

lol.... I just thought of the part of Brave Heart when Mel Gibson yells "FREEDOOOOOOOM!!!!" I am so tired! lol

Getting Large & No Longer In Charge

Wow, I thought that time slows way down the closer you get to the due date? Maybe I will not be thinking the time is going by that fast when I am a day or even a week past August 11. I am hoping I do not go a week past the due date. It has been pretty tough to move around and there is so much pain and stretching going on in the pelvic/lower abdominal region, seriously it feels like my hips are going to burst.

We had a pretty eventful Father's Day...in the hospital. After 4 days of "violent vomiting" (there is no other way to describe it), I had no energy whatsoever and I was so uncomfortable. After talking to the OB it was decided that I should probably get checked out. I was terribly dehydrated and had to get 2 IV saline solutions. Because I had been experiencing the heartburn/nausea/vomiting cycle over the course of the pregnancy, the doctor started treatment for GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux disease). Because the baby was doing great they decided I could finish the treatments at home and released me as soon as I could prove that I could keep some food down. Thankfully the medications have been working, because my throat was so sore and irritated from all the acid. It is so weird how your body can go through so much, yet, the baby is 100% A-Okay and not affected and it doesn't help when he is practicing his ninjitsu skills while I am so nauseous.

On the upside of doctors visits this past week, my Blood Pressure was down to a safe number and I am hopeful that it stays that way. I do not want to be induced and having a high BP will only increase that chance. I was also a little surprised to learn that I have finally gained some weight. 6 pounds to be exact. How I gained that much in a week with not being able to keep anything down was actually quite shocking to me. However, according to most pregnancy charts the average weight of a baby at this stage in pregnancy is about 4.5 pounds. I noticed today just how far my belly is starting to stick out. And I feel so limited in what I can do and for how long I can do it. I definitely do not feel like I am in charge of anything anymore.

You know, if I had to go through it all again, I would for him. Because at the end of the night when I am laying quietly and I see and feel his movements my heart fills up with so much love and I have to thank the Lord for the miracle, blessing, and desire of my heart.

So much is changing and all I can do is give everything up to God. I don't know how much change is coming, but I do know it is on its way. I don't know how I will be adapting to the changes, but I know that I have the Lord guiding me and walking beside me. I was thinking about Eve and how when she went through this. Physically she was all alone. She was the first. There was no "What To Expect" book to help guide her through her pregnancy. She didn't have a mom or friend to turn to. All she had was the Lord. I can imagine her sitting there talking to God about everything. And I believe that the Lord gave her so much peace, a gift to the woman who went through it first. And while technology may make it easier and considerably safer to be pregnant, pregnancy itself is still the same as it was the very first time it happened. I do wonder what her thought was the first time she seen her belly squirming around, because it was amazing yet creepy the first time I seen it happen. Then again, all I could think about was the movie "Alien".

Hmmm... Definitely got off subject this time around. Anyhoo- other than that things have been good here. I definitely can't wait to have Brody in my arms, yet, I want to enjoy every last minute of him being just mine (and God's).

Love,

Kristina

Week 32 has begun

That is right! Week 32 has begun. And with it comes some lovely symptoms of pregnancy. Seriously, I love my OB, but if he says to me " No one gets pregnant to be pregnant, it is for the end result" one more time, I think I will lose it. I actually did want to go through the whole "experience" and it has been great except for a few lingering symptoms. Anyways enough complaining about pregnancy symptoms.

Thankfully school has come to a close and I already feel a great sense of relief. Although, I was pretty depressed a few days ago when I realized all the plans that I had made for this year have been put to a halt. Obviously my little man to be is most definitely worth it, but I wanted to save up a little before his arrival. But, God knows what he is doing and I have full confidence that his timing is perfect despite what may be going on around me.

Week 31 flew by, and I can't believe that week 32 is half over as well. The baby is kicking and grooving all around. And even though I haven't seen his little foot or hand poking out, I have been able to feel it and trace it with my finger tip. I can't wait to see what he looks like. Larry and I have been talking about all the things that we want to do with him and how we want to raise him. I am so happy that we are on the same page.

Over the next weeks it will be a time of rest and getting ready for Brody's arrival. I am currently working on the hospital bag. I only have a few things left to get to put in there but it is ready to go!

Birthing classes come to an end on Tuesday. It has definitely been an experience, and we have had a good time laughing with another couple who is due in July. I just hope that we can remember some of the stuff that we have learned.

Well that is pretty much it for now.

Love,

Kristina

Only 9 (-/+) weeks to go

Hello Everyone!

So week 30 officially ended on Wednesday.

On June 5th, my mom-in-law threw a family baby shower for us. We had such a great time of talking and she made a wonderful light dinner. It really meant a lot to me to get together with his family to share this experience. We are so thankful for the love and support that was overflowing.

Nausea, morning-sickness, and heartburn have made a huge comeback, and they have brought so many wonderful friends with them! This past week was kind of rough. On Wednesday I had my OB appointment, and I have lost more weight (which I am happy about, as long as Brody is okay). My blood pressure is still high, so I will be starting my weekly appointments earlier than normal. I need to start taking it easy and use my own discretion for things so that I am not put on "doctor-ordered" bed rest. Next week is my last week of school, so that will definitely cut out about 30% of my stress..lol!

We are still taking Birth Classes and the week prior we watched "Birth Videos" and I about puked! Seriously, who wants those "scenes" on video! It was not scary, it was nasty! This past week we learned about "creating a birthing environment" and relaxation techniques! We will see how well they work when I am in the labor process! For every class that we go to we earn $15 baby bucks to use in the "boutique". So far I have gotten some really cute outfits, which is great because I am tired of spending big $$$ at Motherhood Maternity just for the clothes to fall apart in the washer/dryer >{ We have also gotten some cute outfits for the baby. I feel a lot more confident now that we have taken the classes, but I know that with every birth it is different and you really can't expect anything to go a certain way. It is sad that the classes will be ending in 2 weeks =(

BABY NEWS: Not much of anything new, he is always kicking and rolling. I really do love that feeling!

Well that is pretty much it for now. Hopefully I will remember to post about week 31 a little earlier!

Love,

Kristina

30 Weeks and only 10 to go

Hello everyone!

Week 29 has officially ended!

Have I mentioned how quickly the time is going by? Well it most definitely is. I will admit that I am ready for the nausea, heartburn, and aches and pains to go away and to have Brody in my arms. However, I am enjoying these last 10 weeks of him being just mine and all his movements in my belly. I love laying and watching him move, it is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced and I am so thankful to the Lord for it, I am already missing it..LOL!

Last Wednesday we had another scare that sent us to the hospital. Upon arriving, my blood pressure was 139/80 and within 4 hours it spiked to 152/98. The urine test came back showing no presence of Protein, but they are still going to be monitoring for Preeclampsia until the end of the pregnancy.

I believe I already posted something about Gestational Diabetes, and at yesterdays doctor appointment, my OB decided to give it one more week before making a decision on putting me on the medication. I am hoping to get it under control, but, if I must go on it, it is good to know that the one I will be on does not cross the placenta so the baby will not be effected (is that the right one? affected/effected so annoying!).

Well that is pretty much all that has been going on.

Love,

Kristina