39 Weeks, 3 days

Almost there!  I just can’t believe it – now that it’s so close!  Ever since I was a kid, I loved it when I could say that something I was waiting for was “the day after tomorrow” – to me, that meant it was SOON!  And so, finally, the baby is coming THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!!  These past 9 months have literally flown by!  And what a great time it’s been!  I haven’t had time to read back over this entire blog lately, but I’m really looking forward to seeing God’s faithfulness and His hand in everything that’s happened. 

I’m now starting to get nervous about the actual c-section (major abdominal surgery, after all!), and also about life after Baby comes – how different will it be with 2 rather than just one?!  Chandler’s still really excited, but I’m hoping the reality of the situation doesn’t throw him for too much of a loop.  I’m so thankful that my Mom is coming tonight to stay for 3 weeks – she’s so easy to have around and such an amazing help!  And of course, Chris will be wonderful, too – he’s so good with babies!  When Chandler was born, he pitched right in from the very beginning with diaper changes, baths, rocking, feeding…the works!  It should be fun!

I think this will be my last post before Baby comes.  I’ll do my best to post one more time after the dust of delivery settles…thanks again for tuning in, and for your prayers and encouragement!  Please think of us on Thursday!  Blessings on you and yours!

38 Weeks, 3 days!

Well, I finally feel able to write something here again.  A couple of weeks ago, my doctor freaked out on me and insisted on all these tests and procedures, while giving me little information as to why.  Well, the tests are all finished, the results are in, and baby Feltmate is 100 % fine!  The doc was worried that he was HUGE based on my measurements, which could have caused a lot of problems both for me and for him.  Turns out, he’s just where he should be, maybe a bit on the upper end of average.  The latest ultrasound has revealed that he weighs in at around 8 pounds, which is just fine. They were also really concerned that my sugars were totally out of control, so I got to attend a wonderful diabetic clinic where they gave me a fabulous blood sugar testing kit.  Turns out everything is completely normal there, too.  Yay!  And so, with only 9 more days to go, everything is looking just great!  I’m really looking forward to the next leg of this journey, with the usual bit of apprehension and fear of the (somewhat) unknown.  I came across some very unpleasant stories about c-sections last week, and demonstrated poor judgement in actually reading them.  So they freaked me out a bit.  But I know everything will be done to ensure the most positive outcome, so really, all I can do is wait.  Thanks to all who have travelled this journey along with me in this blog – your comments have been so encouraging!  I can hardly wait to post the birth story and pics and the works – soon, soon! 

35 Weeks, 1 Day

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve written – sorry to you faithful ones who check this blog out from time to time!  Time is passing very quickly these days, and it’s about to get even quicker!  Here’s a rough time table: moving in 2 weeks, preaching the next 2 Sundays, having a baby in a month!  I think that will be sufficient stuff to fill up the next few weeks!  I can hardly believe that we’re really moving - it’s such an amazing, bizarre God-thing!  We weren’t even looking, but almost literally stumbled upon a great townhouse to rent: 3 bedrooms, finished basement, yard, washer and dryer – the works!  And it’s just a few blocks from where we are now!  It’s so awesome because I was having a really hard time picturing the reality of this baby, largely because I didn’t know where I was going to put him in our small, 2 bedroom apartment!  Now he can have his own room, and we can all have our own space without tripping over each other!  I am beyond overjoyed!!!!  And I love that we get to move so soon – time to get settled before the little mister makes his appearance (hopefully, anyway!).  I love moving – this move will be my 21st, I think.  My poor husband is not such a big fan – he had never moved in his life before we got married!  (We’ll have moved 6 times together!) 

And in actual baby news, all seems to be well.  Baby is growing, but I am shrinking a little, which seems to be balancing itself out nicely.  I think I mentioned in my last post that I had borderline gestational diabetes?  Anyway, to be more accurate, I’m “glucose challenged” – which I think is a really funny phrase!  (Wouldn’t want to offend my pancreas or anything!).  So I’ve been pretty much following a diabetic diet, and have been losing a bit of weight while Baby has been putting it on.  I can’t believe how much better I feel, how much more energy I have lately – who knew?  Hopefully it will become a habit and will help take off the pounds once the little guy makes his appearance. 

Getting so excited to actually meet this little one – strange thing, though.  Both ultrasounds have indicated that the baby is a boy, but I keep thinking and dreaming about it as a girl.  I guess only time will tell!  I’ll try to keep you posted over the next few weeks – thanks again for tuning in! 

33 Weeks, 2 days

I’m getting so excited to meet this new little one!  Only 6 and a half weeks until the scheduled c-section, which is something like 45 days!  I’m having a hard time actually visualizing our new addition simply because I haven’t quite figured out where to put him yet!  Our small, 2-bedroom apartment holds the 3 of us fairly well, but I’m not sure what will happen when we add a fourth, even though he will be a mere 20 inches long!  We’re trusting God to provide us a larger living space when we need it, so I’m not really all that worried.  He’s always met our needs in the past, at just the right time, so I have no reason to expect otherwise in this case, right?  (I’m feeling better physically today, and that makes it easier to be positive, I find.  Interesting how the physical, emotional and spiritual are so intertwined…)

I had to do a 12 hour fast in preparation for a glucose tolerance test last week.  On the normal glucose challenge test, my results were kind of high, therefore the next test.  I had to stay at the lab for 2 hours.  They took my blood (3 tubes!), then I had to drink the disgusting orange soda stuff, then they poked me again after an hour and after 2 hours.  I have a doctor’s appointment on Thursday, so I guess I’ll find out the results and what happens next.  From what I can understand, the real concern with high sugar is having a larger baby.  It doesn’t seem to have much to do with the baby’s health, etc…  Anyone know anything else about this?  I’ll keep you posted!

It will be so fun to have a baby in the house again!  (Most of the time, I mean…I remember the not-so-pleasant parts, too!)  Chandler’s been obsessed with looking at any baby pictures he can get his hands on lately…I found my old baby book in a box yesterday, and he couldn’t get enough of that.  He loves looking at his own baby pictures, too.  I guess that’s his way of preparing for this huge change in our family.  I’m looking forward to seeing the two of them interacting…

I apologize for my randomness yet again – don’t expect anything more focused or polished for the foreseeable future, because after pregnant brain comes mommy brain…  But what a blessed state of affairs, to be a mommy to such treasures! 

32 Weeks, 1 day

Well, I feel like I should write something but I’m not sure what to write.  I think these last few weeks are the hardest to get through, both physically and emotionally.  I’m large, sore, tired and can’t bend over more than a few inches due to little mister’s feet being lodged in my ribs…  I’m having tons of Braxton-Hicks contractions (which I’ve read are much stronger with 2nd pregnancies) and hoping with every twinge that it’s labour, but at the same time worried that I’ll give birth too early, etc…  The count-down to the c-section is at 53 days, which seems both like forever and not enough time to get ready for the ensuing chaos.  I’m planning to work for 5 more weeks, which really seems like forever! 

It could be worse though, couldn’t it?  I mean, I could be on bedrest, I could be immobile, I could be in this alone, I could be …  well, you get the idea!  (Yes, sometimes I lose my perspective.)  I have a ton of things to be thankful for: my family, my home, my job, my friends, and the fact that I have a God who knows me and loves me and always provides what I need, whether it’s an afternoon nap, an encouraging call from my sister or a venting session in this blog! Ok, I feel better now…thanks for listening! 

30 Weeks!

Hey there!  Wow, this pregnancy is flying by!  30 weeks today!  I just can’t believe it!  Though I must admit that the finish line really can’t come soon enough!  I’m getting really big and standing/walking for longer periods of time is becoming increasingly difficult.  Generally, I can counteract that problem by laying down for a few minutes here and there, but things like leading worship and grocery shopping don’t really lend themselves to rest and relaxation! 

According to the doctor who saw me the other day (for all of 6 minutes!), everything seems fine and is progressing normally.  Only gained 3.5 lbs in August (yay!) and Baby’s heartbeat is strong and normal.  I think these last weeks are the hardest to get through – I’m so anxious for the next phase of the game!  I just want to meet this little man and start making the adjustments to being a family of 4.  However, I am trying to enjoy this last bit of pregnancy – and having only ONE little man to think of!  Chandler’s so excited he can hardly stand it – it’s so cute!  He keeps talking about all of the things he’s going to do for his baby brother (feed him, bath him, change him, play with him…).  He even spent almost an hour the other day going through some baby clothes my mother sent, just holding them up and saying how cute and little they were and how much the baby would love them!  I know we’ll most likely have to deal with some jealousy and sibling rivalry issues at some point, but I foresee a lot of lovin’ and hugs and kisses in our future – I can hardly wait!

28 Weeks, 4 days

We’re ba-ack!  Had an absolutely wonderful vacation in the Maritimes, and have returned tired but refreshed, ready to take on whatever God is calling us to today! 

Our travel experiences were excellent – both Chandler and baby handled themselves extremely well!  I figured out a temporary solution to the bathroom-run-every-20-minutes problem: whenever we had a lot of travelling ahead of us, I would stuff myself with carbs and drink very little until we reached our destination.  It worked pretty well – neither Chris nor I got too frustrated with the amount of stops we had to make.  (And I sure didn’t mind the carbs!)  Hooray for Humpty Dumpty Cheesies!!!!!

And now we’re officially in the 3rd trimester!  Only a few more weeks until we meet our little Mister!  Had another ultrasound yesterday, and finally got to see our little man’s face – his profile, at least!  (The picture is posted on my facebook page)  He seemed to think that the ultrasound was a game and would scoot away from the tool (what is that thing called, anyway?) and the technician would have to chase him to get the necessary pictures!  It was too cute!  Anyway, it appears that he’s measuring about a week bigger than my dates indicate.  Apparently, that’s not too much of a problem, but we’ll see what my doctor has to say…

By the way, while on vacation, I all of a sudden seemed to just pop out – my belly is getting HUGE!  Hope little Mister doesn’t grow too much more!  I’ll soon be as wide as I am tall!   Thanks for stopping by!

26 Weeks, 1 day

No one ever told me that morning sickness could come back!!!  Though not nearly as bad as in the beginning, I’ve been on-and-off nauseous for the past few days with the most awful taste in my mouth - ick!  What’s up with that?  However, to put it all in perspective, I do have a lot to be thankful for and really only that to complain about!

We’re leaving on a jet plane later tonight – 2 weeks on the East Coast!  I’m thinking about keeping a bathroom tally on the plane and when we’re travelling any other long distances.  Any bets on the number of potty trips on the 4 and a half hour plane ride?  How about the 8 hour drive from Cape Breton to NB?  Thank goodness for Irving Big Stops!

In other pregnancy news…my belly button has taken on a strange new shape.  It popped out on Friday night and appears to be settled into its new position for the next little while.  The baby must be growing very quickly right now – I keep bumping into things with my stomach!  I only gained 3 pounds in July (YAY!) but I think a lot of it went straight to the baby – he seems so tall (for a fetus, I mean…).  I often feel simultaneous movement a good 12 or more inches apart!

This has been a very random post – sorry for the mental wanderings!  The farther this pregnancy progresses, the more absent-minded and scatter-brained I seem to become…  It’s not fun (and often pretty embarrassing!), but at least I have a good excuse for the next 3 months!

25 Weeks, 3 days

Just returned from a Doctor’s visit – fun times!  It was a good visit; we got to hear the little guy’s heartbeat really clearly.  Halfway through listening to the  heartbeat, though, it suddenly disappeared, then reappeared a few inches to the left!  Apparently, we have a bit of an acrobat on our hands!  He’s currently hanging out in an upside-down position, and all seems to be just fine.  I guess I’m measuring big for the gestational age, however, but nobody is worried because everything else is normal.  Yay for a boring pregnancy!

I can’t really believe that I have 3 more months to go – I feel so big already!  But, when I think back to the final month or so with Chandler, I know that my size right now is nothing compared to what it will be!  As Chris so kindly reminded me this morning, right before I had Chandler, I filled a doorway when I turned sideways!   I’m very thankful that it will be a little cooler this time around!  Chandler was born in September, and what a hot August we had that year!  October/November should be a little easier to take!

Eagerly anticipating our visit to the East Coast – 5 more sleeps!  Neither Chris nor I are looking forward to the many bathroom stops as we travel back and forth between NB and Cape Breton (8 hours!), but I know we’ll have a blast, regardless!  I can’t wait to hit the ocean!

24 Weeks, 5 days

I am very pleased to report that baby and mommy have successfully made it through VBS – hooray!  VBS is always somewhat stressful for me, but add in this pregnancy and all sorts of complications arise…  Fortunately, the worst that happened was that my “baby-brain” syndrome was in full effect, causing me to have to cover twice as much ground on missions that could have been accomplished in half the time, if only I could remember what I was trying to do!  I’m so thankful for the patience and understanding of my co-workers! (By the way, the week really couldn’t have gone any more smoothly – everyone had a great time!)

In other news, I get to travel with my family across the country to visit with the rest of my family in just 9 days!  I’ve never flown while pregnant (though I did fly from East to West with Chandler when he was just 7 weeks old!) so I’m interested to see just how baby and I will cope.  At least we’ll always have a bathroom nearby!  We’re really looking forward to being on the East coast again – I can’t wait to hit the beach!  (and see my family, of course…)  I wonder just how many belly-pats we’ll get while we’re away?  Not that I mind, but it does seem strange sometimes that people are so eager to touch a body part that, under normal circumstances, usually goes unnoticed.  Ah, the joys of pregnancy…