Made it to 35 weeks!

To think that 6 weeks ago I was told I have preeclampsia is crazy. At that point (29 weeks) my goal was to make it to 32... then to 34... now we want to make it to 37. I'm so thankful to be in the position I am. I continue to feel good and therefore am very optimistic. My doctor isn't always as optimistic, but we'll just keep plugging away! We just had another "growth" ultrasound this morning. The ultrasound measurements guessed the baby to be 7lbs, 4 oz. but she was confident that even with the margin of error... the baby is at least 6 1/2 lbs. BIG BABY! Since I might go early, we're thankful for a big healthy baby who likes to kick. The technician even saw the baby practicing breathing... another good sign!

Please continue to pray wisdom and discernment. Sometimes I almost feel like there are too many voices to listen to. Everyone has different ideas of what is best. I'm mostly referring to the fact that my doctor wants to induce me 2/3 weeks early. Of course I want to be smart and avoid the complications of severe preeclampsia developing if possible, however I also want those little lungs to develop as much as possible.

Pray for peace and that God's exact plan to be executed. The good news is he already has it all planned out and knows exactly what will happen, when it will happen, and how it will happen. Not I just have to learn to shift out of my "control-freak" state and let Him take care of the situation.

34 1/2 Weeks

Latest Update

Its been a week since I have written anything here, so I thought an update would be good. We are so thankful to be past 34 weeks... almost to 35 already! I saw the specialist on Monday. He was very optimistic. He was happy with the BP readings I had been getting at home. Lots of good news there. The next day, my regular doctor was a little less reassuring, but I guess she is just trying to be cautious and cover herself. Sounds like she wants to induce me a couple weeks early. Initially, I just thought... isn't it better to just let the baby come when its ready? I just need to remind myself that we've already come so far from 29 weeks when I was diagnosed. God can work through being induced too!

Matt is busy with spring conditioning with students at his school, but is finding some extra time to get outside and do some yard work which he enjoys. I'm sad I can't help him more this year, but its ok! I'm very excited about the garden he's planting. Matt loves going and helping on the farm in Minnesota, so its fun he can have his own little project here at home.

Baby Marty's room just needs some curtains before the room itself is ready. Not really sure we are set with other stuff, but we'll find out what we need as we go along! Blessings on your weekend!

The Saga Continues

We're almost to 34 weeks! Time has actually went pretty quickly. I continue to monitor my BP and go in for monitoring weekly. As soon as I reach Tuesday (officially 34 weeks), we will not have to think about the steroid shot anymore. The steroid is supposed to help develop the lungs, but there is no evidence that it does any good if given after 34 weeks and is the most helpful if given about 2 days before delivery. So since I'm still feeling good, we should be able to avoid that I think!

I absolutely LOVED having my friend Greta down for a couple of days. We've had a few adventures together.... building forts / bike trails in the woods, jabbing big toes with nails, boundary waters up in Northern MN, AAU basketball, talking about BOYS, and more. Now I got the chance to ask her about every question I could think of when it comes to having a kid and all the stuff that follows. Good friends are a blessing!

As we prepare to celebrate Easter tomorrow, we celebrate the new life we have in Christ. Undeserved in every way. By His wounds and the pain/suffering He went through, we have new life. This year we have a NEW life to celebrate as well! Even though we haven't officially met Baby Marty yet, Matt & I feel so blessed by the gift of life we are experiencing. Wishing you all a blessed Easter.... HE IS RISEN!

A Special Guest has Arrived!

As my mother-in-law said, this maybe sounds like a chapter from a a Little House on the Prairie Book or Heidi, but this happened to me in real life. Matt told me this weekend that we were having a guest, but refused to tell me who. Later he told me I had to pick this person up at the airport on Tuesday. Even later he told me we should put the carseat in the car. I was very confused and a little frustrated. Matt is not very good at keeping secrets from me, so I was frustrated he wouldn't tell me this! Anyways, I went to the airport yesterday to find my good friend GRETA and her cute son Trysten at the airport! It was so fun! They came to keep me company for a couple days! We love having a kid around. It really gets us even more excited for Baby Marty to be here! Greta has been awesome to have around and Trysten has been a big help teaching us what we have to baby proof!

Showered by the 4th Graders!

Today was a big day! I got to get out of the house and for a reason other than a doctor appointment! It was so good to get back to school and see some faces I have been missing! The fourth graders threw me and baby a BABY SHOWER! It was so cute! I have really missed seeing all those kiddos' faces and it was so great to see them again. We were definitely blessed and spoiled by everyone's generosity. The favorite gift - the tear jerker - was the guitar that the parents got for me. It is a real guitar covered with lyrics to some of the songs we sing in the classroom. Its hard to describe, but believe me... its VERY cool!

God is good and is continuing to help me and baby through each day. I am thankful that extreme boredom has not set in, rather I'm enjoying the extra time to read, take naps, and to just BE with God. Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!

31 Weeks

Here's a couple of pictures that show my current belly size.

Baby Furniture

Thought I'd share some pictures of the nursery. Not done but getting closer!!!

The Fun Stuff

Lately I've been writing mostly about bed-rest, doctors, and blood pressure. Today I'm writing about something much more fun and exciting than any of that. As I type, Matt is working on putting together the crib with his Dad! YIPPEE!!! Matt has been working overtime to help get the room cleared out and ready for the little one on the way (Yeah for Matt's school being on Spring Break!). All since Friday Matt has painted the ceiling, painted the walls, switched the light fixture as well as some switch plates. And now the big furniture will soon be in place. Everything feels more real suddenly! Now we just need to go get that car seat so we can bring baby home!!!

Big Beautiful Baby!

Yesterday we went back to the Perinatal Center at the Hospital. They hooked me up to monitor the baby. The non-stress test was done to monitor Baby. Baby's movement and heartrate looked fine. Baby was feeling especially active during this time! After that, Matt & I got to see Baby again on the ultrasound. We got to see the heart, the lip, the kidneys, the spinal cord, the bladdar, the ears, and more... (can't remember it all). The goal of the whole ultrasound was to make sure Baby was growing. Turns out Baby is DEFINITELY growin! They measured the size of the head, the stomach, and the femur. Turns out we have a big baby. I'm only 30 1/2 weeks and baby weighed in (according to the measurements) at 4 lbs 10 oz. The technician said that might be a little high, but we could be pretty confident Baby is over 4 lbs. BIG BABY! So, normally a big baby would probably be more scary (the whole labor part of it), but since they tell me baby might be a little early, I'm so thankful for a big beautiful baby. God is Good!(PS... Baby still has big cheeks just like Daddy!)