Bows and headbands and beanies... oh my!

I couldn't wait to share. This DEFINITELY brightened up my rainy bedresting day! Look at this collection. Lord knows I wanted a boy but I think the bows just did it...

33 weeks and bows! May baby or June baby?

Not much is happening. I am still on bedrest. Symptoms are the same. Nothing dramatic.

Pictures:
My awesome coworkers sent me these beautiful flowers today. The next photo is a nice reminder that I can't see my poor feet. The next one is my 1st shot at going bare belly. I thought I'd try at least one even though I am not a fan of them!

How am I feeling?

• Can't sleep at night even with multiple pillows so I am constantly tired
• Can't sleep in a bed so I mostly sleep on a recliner or on the floor
• Decreased movement from the baby but I still feel her at least 1-2 times a day (less kicking)
• She hiccups in my crotch and I can't stand it
• Horrible pelvic pains that make it nearly impossible to walk, turn, or stand up. I prefer baths but it takes a lot out of me to get in and out of the tub :(
• Contractions galore! These come and I normally would prefer not to talk to anybody
• Swelling feet on and off... my rings still fit though!
• Weight gain has stalled for a bit out thank goodness

So when I asked the doc if I was going to make it to 40 weeks (which would be June 19th), she said a flat out "no". She then said "I don't want to jinx it, but I think we can make it full term". Full term for me would be May 29th. So I wonder if Baby J (as my coworkers call her) will be a May baby or June baby? I am certainly excited to have her come here but with my bedrest there isn't much I can finish up around the house like I would like to. My cervix is still shortening and funneling which is why she doesn't think I'll make it that far. Doc is hoping we can keep her cooking for as long as possible.

Total Weight Gain to date: 17 lbs :(
Whatever happened to that nice 4-5 lbs I had going?

Bows! I splurged buying $70 worth of bows, headbands, and beanies for Baby Jessica and they get here tomorrow. I'm excited to see them! If my little girl comes out looking like a little man, we're going to have to dress her head for a bit. I got them from an online site called Halo Heaven.

Sleep deprived in my new apartment :(

So the bed has been my apartment and yesterday I found out that it will be my new apartment for some time until Jessica is a little more "well done" in there. My apartment moves regularly. My bed is no longer the place of choice. I've slept on the floor, in our recliner, and now... I'm sleeping in my stepdaughter's bed. Why? I can't get comfortable anywhere. Our bed has one of those mattresses I was wowed by 6 years ago because it is so fluffy, soft, and luxurious... not! It is so uncomfortable now. I sleep with anywhere from 4-6 pillows including this boppy thing. I need someone to swaddle me I guess.

So I get that I will be sleep deprived when baby comes. The flip side to this is that anybody who really knows Christina Ellington, knows that doesn't mean much. I don't sleep period. I've dealt with insomnia since college. Even before this pregnancy, I would be the one to send 1-2 am work emails or get projects done overnight. This is not because I procrastinated but for some reason I get more work done at night. My mother used to hate seeing me deal with this. When I got married, my husband realized I had a serious problem with it and also hated it. When I competed in pageants, my directors were always on me about it. My mom thought my pageant platform should have been about sleep disorders. So being sleep deprived is a part of who I am and I am not going on any pill for it. I don't know if I took after my mother who has been working nights as a nurse in various capacities for the last 30+ years. My mom would be up all hours of the night vacuuming, doing laundry, watching TV, writing letters, doing work, on the phone and so on. It was like she was in her own little day world. Once I got my freedom in college to sort of manage my own schedule, I just never slept. In college I would average 3-4 hours of sleep a night sporadically. I just learned to function on it.

The problem with this 3rd trimester sleep deprivation nonsense is that is has added luxuries. The main goal of the tossing and turning is to try to get back to sleep (which is a very boring and annoying game I say). So I am in so much pain in my lower half that when I end up sleeping on my back, it becomes nearly impossible to even turn myself to my side. Lifting my leg to get the pillow in between them hurts. Oh wait... I have to potty now! Lifting myself up, turning my body to put my feet on the ground, and standing up is a workout. 99% of the time, I stand completely bent over while holding onto everything in my path to the bathroom. I fell the other day in front of my mom, my dad, and my husband just because I can't seem to get my balance right. I'm just a bag of wobble goo.

I'll do anything for little Jess. Mama's knocked out, but I love you girl.

I'm moody, she's happy, and she will come when she is ready...

Well the specialist said "if the baby comes now, we are not going to stop her". So even though I am having some cervical concerns, everything else is looking good and we are just in waiting mode. I am going to do my best to rest when I can, drink tons of water, and try to stay off my feet when I can. Other than that, the ultrasound shows that she is doing very well and healthy.


I am drained though. Mike and I went to the sporting goods store a few days ago. I remember getting out of the car, walking into the store, and standing by the running shoes section as he tried on sneakers. As I stood there, I got really dizzy and realized that my heart rate had dramatically gone up! I wasn't even breathing hard. Doing what? Walking into the doggone store! Anytime I am still, I can feel the blood pumping through every part of my body. They don't lie when they say that your blood supply increases. Everything exhausts me and it's starting to make me moody :(

On the flip side of my moodiness, little Jessica is in a very good mood. Seeing her smile in this video is amazing. I can't stop watching it. I can only imagine what it is like to see her smile in "real life".



Today I am excited because my stepdaughter, Alexis, comes to stay with us for the next few days. We haven't seen her since early January when I was 15-16 weeks. The baby room which is also her room is close to complete. I left her side unfinished because I am going to have her assist me in how she wants to decorate her side. She's also got to help me organize the room so I've got all the baby stuff out so she can give me some ideas. We've got some work to do!

Bedrest, 31 weeks, hands, and Mr. Braxton Hicks

So we are finally at 31 weeks which means I am officially in the single digit countdown. 9 weeks to go... if Jessica wants to hold out that long.

I've been on temporary bedrest for this past week due to a short cervix and cramping. One week ago I started getting cramping and definitely said "woah that's not right". I've had a really good pregnancy with no cramping, no aches or pains, no nothing. So Saturday I thought maybe I was just having a "day". On Sunday I took two warm baths because they were bothering me and my back was getting to me as well. I went to work on Monday, back on my feet, and it was clear that the cramps were not going anywhere. I went to the doctor that day only to find out that my cervix was quite short and continuing to shorten. So I am on bedrest until I see the specialist next week until we get the more definitive plan for how we are going to deal with it. Long term bedrest would be my worst nightmare as anyone who knows me knows that I am a keep it movin' type of person. Over the last week of bedrest though, it has proven to be that I am not just getting a tiny bit of cramping. SOMETHING is going on in there and it is increasingly getting more and more painful by the day. Jessica is going to just have to wait and cook a little bit longer.

Accompanying the pain are Mr. Braxton Hicks and friends. It was cute when I was getting them starting 1 month ago - distorting my tummy. There is nothing entertaining about it now. It makes me stop everything I am doing (like I just got one 1 minute ago and I stopped typing this), it normally is joined by Ms. Cramping and Mr. Backaches, and requires a little concentration. Ms. Cramping is enjoying the sounds of me typing right now. All I have to say is, "Mr. Braxton Hicks - you and all your little friends can go home for now. I'm finished with this party."

So I've been down in the dumps about all of this as I don't know what I am going to hear next week when I get my next cervical reading. To keep me happy, I got to see my little one on 3D today at Stork Studio in Orange, CT. She is a true fat butt! Big chubby cheeks like I had as a kid. She definitely has an obsession with her hands. Her hands were all in her face and in her mouth the whole time. It was ridiculous. We had to keep hitting my stomach to get some type of view of her face! My mom had the chance to come join us.

Hubby who is usually quite reserved and quiet about this whole process came out and said yesterday, "I want her to come out now." (smile)

30 weeks, Baby Shower, and woah weight gain!

Now look... It was only in February that I was yapping off to my doctor some small concerns around the fact that I had only gained 3-4 lbs total at 20 something weeks. The nurse made fun of me in January and told me wait until you hit February because you weight it just going to shoot up. I went through all of February still at the total mark of about 4 lbs. So March comes marching along and my weight goes up a couple little lbs and I think to myself, "this is not too bad." Well here we are on April 10th. My weight has shot up 14 total lbs. This baby lost her mind. I've also been noticeably a lot more hungry at my main meals. With the demands of my job, I don't eat as often during the day as I should. So I am determined today to go out and get some good snacks to try to eat during the day when I am hungry so I am not stuffing my face at one meal. Good thing is that glucose test was great. No high blood pressure. No issues at all in this pregnancy so far. I could be dealing with worse so I won't complain.

I have my 30 week appointment this week with the doctor and then yay for my 3D appointment this coming Saturday. I am going to check to make sure this baby doesn't magically have a little hotdog we didn't know about.

My mom called me about 4 days ago with that odd voice on the phone. I kept asking her what's wrong mom? She finally blurted out that she was trying to plan my baby shower with her friend to keep it a surprise but she would prefer to have me involved. She said it would be more "fun". Anyone who knows my mom knows that a party is right up her alley and she can put together anything. So I've been assisting in some respects but definitely not picky. I'm excited that is underway. Hopefully baby Jess doesn't decide to hit the streets anytime soon. We are looking at mid may for a party.

A lot has been done with the baby room. The things we have left to do or may not even do are:

• Child Birthing Classes (not sure)
• Newborn Items (waiting for shower because I have no idea what to get right now)
• Baby wardrobe
• Boobie Pumps
• Glider/Recliner (not sure)
• Stroller/Car Seat (mama said she is going to get this)
• Packing delivery bag (later)
• Finalizing registry
• Clean carpets in baby room
• Put together baby swing
• Put newborn napper in my room
• Get birthing plan to hospital
• Meet with pediatrician
• Boobie feeding class

Biggest Con right now: My breathing sucks. I go up and down the stairs regularly at work and my breathing isn't cutting it. You would think I ran a few miles by the time I get to the top. I push through it but it is so hard to be so short of breath :(

Biggest Pro right now: My belly is getting SO big! While it is getting big seeing the baby move my belly parts around is incredible. Visibly seeing the kicking and jabbing is crazy but so exciting. I listened to the heartbeat last night with hubby and heard a strong healthy baby.

10 weeks Baby J!

Baby Room and 29 weeks!

The baby room is coming right along finally. I got the walls done with the wall decal, got the blinds up, and put together the bassinet/playyard. The playyard will be in our room for when the baby first comes home. We also did a little home gardening today for the 1st time! We're so proud of ourselves!