33 and 34 weeks--Playing catchup!

33 weeks

34 weeks

Well!! The past two weeks have been CRAZY!! I finally moved to Hawaii. Let me tell you--it is GORGEOUS here!! The flight was long and boring and uncomfortable, but whatever. I made it. It has been so nice being able to settle and get baby stuff and everything. I'll tell you a more about that later on in the post though.

There's not a lot going on with Gabriel's development (as compared to earlier in the pregnancy) lately. I mean, there is--but it's mostly just brain development and gaining weight. His organs are almost fully matured except for his lungs, which will continue to develop almost until he's born. He's getting pretty big now! He's about 5 lbs now and around 20 inches! Because he's so big, I'm pretty maxed out on the amniotic fluid level. Since there's less water surrounding him, there's less cushion to his kicks and punches--which can SUCK. He moves in the most uncomfortable positions sometimes! Ugh! Anyway, Gabe is getting antibodies and all kinds of great stuff from me, which will help with the development of his immune system. Apparently his testicles are making their way down to his scrotum this week--they've been in his abdomen all this time!

So I had my first doctor appointment in Hawaii today! It took some time to get all of my medical coverage and stuff in order when I got here. I finally found a doctor YESTERDAY and they got me in to see him today. My doctor's name is Dr. Newcomb. He's really cool--super nice. My visits will be weekly from now until Gabriel is born. I have to get a Group B Strep test next week. Ick. It's a swab--like a PAP. Blah. But whatever.

On to the fun stuff!! I've finally been able to get baby stuff!! I have a high chair, a swing, a cute little vibrating baby papasan chair, a play mat, a stroller, and the CRIB!!! (and crib bedding) Here are some pictures of me and my mom putting it together:

 

Yay!! We did it!!

To My Little Angel

My dear, sweet little boy,


How do I even begin to express to you how much I love you? How do I explain that you are my entire world even though I have never seen you or held you? You have my entire heart. Nothing in this world means more to me than you do. You are my special little guy. 


It makes me sad that you will be born into such an imperfect world. I hate that, no matter what I do, I will not be able to protect you from every single hurt or harm there is. It breaks my heart to know that you are going to be born into a single-parent home and that your father has chosen not to be around. I am so sorry for that. I cry for hours wondering how you will handle the emotions that will come.


But please know this, Gabriel: No matter what, Mommy loves you. I always have. I always will. You deserve the very very best and I will do everything in my power to provide that for you--even if I have to do it by myself.

I love you so much,

Mommy

32 weeks down, 8 to go!

Wow. Eight months ago I was still dating Ray. I was in Texas. I wasn't pregnant (okay maybe BARELY pregnant). I can't believe how much has changed in such a short amount of time. It's weird almost. And in eight WEEKS, my life will be changed forever. I'll have a baby boy. What a year!

This week Gabriel is tipping the scales at around 4 lbs and is about 19 inches long. His skin isn't transparent anymore! He's got enough fat (kiddo's fillin' out!) to make it opaque like the rest of us! I'm just imagining how cute he's gonna be! I don't know what Ray looked like when he was a baby (hopefully I will soon though--Daisy is going to send me some pictures of him from when he was little so I can make an album for Gabriel), but I was a CHUNK! It will be fun to see who he takes after...

So the past week or so has been a little on the stressful side....ugh. I've been having issues with management at my apartment complex. Calling them "issues" is being nice, too. They are IMPOSSIBLE! But I finally got things worked out with them, so hopefully this will be the end of my frustrations with College Terrace...

I've also been trying to get things organized and cleaned and PACKED UP. I've been anticipating this move for about two months now and it's finally here! I'll be leaving Utah in two days....crazy! I have to ship a lot of stuff because I (obviously) won't be able to fit it all into suitcases... I am taking the boxes to the post office on Monday. Hopefully it won't cost me an arm and a leg to mail all of this crap. I can't wait to get to Hawaii though! I get to start buying baby stuff!! I've been so excited for this part! I would have been doing it already if it weren't for the fact that it would just cost me even more money to ship it all....blah.

I saw the doctor yesterday. Well, that's a lie. I went to the doctor's office and they sat me in a room where I waited to see the doctor....FOR ALMOST AN HOUR!! Finally the nurse came back and was like "I'm so sorry. Dr. Parker has already left for the day. I guess he didn't know he had one more patient to see...would you be willing to see another doctor?" Fine--whatever. Just get me in to see SOMEONE so I can get on with my day! So she told me she would send in Dr. Young. Ten minutes pass by. She comes back in and informs me that Dr. Young is busy with both his and Dr. Saunders' patients because Dr. Saunders is at the hospital delivering a baby. She asked me if I was willing to see a Nurse-Midwife. FINE! JUST GET ME IN TO SEE WHOEVER SO I CAN GO!! So she takes me over to the CNM side of the practice and I wait for another ten minutes and finally get seen. Ugh. Everything looks good though. My weight gain is right where it should be. So is Gabe's heart rate. My blood pressure is awesome. Blah blah blah. I was just so annoyed that I spend so much time WAITING.....whatever.

Anyway--eight weeks to motherhood! I'm so nervous!

31 weeks--On The Go!!

So! Here I am. 31 weeks. Holy crap. I feel like the time is just passing by so quickly!! I'm kinda glad about that though. Not that I hate being pregnant or anything--I love it (most of the time...lol)! I love feeling him move and kick. There's just a different feeling you get in general when you're pregnant. Life is different--and not just physically. I can't explain it. Anyway--only nine more days until I move to Hawaii!! Gah!!

Gabriel is weighing in at 3+ pounds this week! He's around 18 inches long (give or take), which means he's almost at his birth length! His brain is doing a LOT of work making sure everything is in order and all of the trillions (yes, TRILLIONS) of connections are good to go before he's born. He's actually using them--processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five of his senses. In fact, he'll actually be able to start recognizing my voice or music that I play, etc. That's because, up until now, Gabe interpreted sounds as vibrations, but now he can hear ACTUAL SOUNDS! How cool! He's sleeping more now too--I think maybe he just likes the REM sleep (dreaming is cool). LOL  It's nice that he sleeps more now--at least for longer periods of time. He is developing a much more predictable pattern. I usually have a pretty good idea when he's going to be awake and kicking and rolling around.

This week has been so up and down! I've been really busy trying to get things ready for the move. Grr. I hate moving. I love it too. But I tend to be a procrastinator when it comes to packing... Anyway, I broke down and bought a few things for Gabriel--I couldn't help it!! But it was just little stuff. I got a onesie for his blessing day (SO cute!!) and an adorable little pair of shoes. I had to. But they're small and won't take up much space when packing. I got together with Aubrey and did "belly pictures"!! I guess it sounds better to call it a "maternity shoot", but whatever. We got some really cute shots. I should post them sometime. Maybe soon. I talked to Racheal on the phone for the first time this past week! She's such a sweetheart. Daisy called me too! We only spoke very briefly because she was traveling at the time, but it was good to talk to her--haven't done that since.....geeze I don't even remember the last time we actually TALKED. I saw Dr. Parker Wednesday. He says everything's looking great! My glucose test results came back. As long as my "score" was under 140, I was good. My score was 80. I was WAY good. Dr. Parker says Gabriel is head-down, which is good I guess! He had a hard time finding his head at first--says I have abs of steel! LOL The good/relieving news: I should be totally fine to fly (in NINE DAYS--holy crap)! Yay!!

New baby stuff!

My monthly visit with Grandpa and Janet was great! (as usual!) Dinner was really good--we had Janet's breaded sweet and sour chicken and my grandpa made some sliced up potatoes and squash with mushrooms (yuuuuummmmmm!). They sliced up some fresh tomatoes from their garden and we had those with salt and pepper. Man, there's NO COMPARISON when it comes to store bought tomatoes and home grown tomatoes.

After dinner, we played games and talked--the usual. And Janet made root beer floats for dessert. She had a  cute little wrapped up package for me too! She had made another one of her awesome blankets and she got Gabe some cute little outfits!

I made sure to flip down one of the corners so you can see the other side. All of the blankets she has made me are reversible. How cute! And they're so soft...

A package of onesies she got me. I love the colors--the green is really cute! And the little pictures are adorable.

This one is super cute. She made sure to get me clothes for different stages, so this should fit him around springtime. Look at the cute little tail on the back!!

This is one that Libby (Janet's daughter) picked out! I don't know if you can tell, but it says "Do the Robot"! Hahahaha! I don't know why, but it's cute/funny to me...

Anyway, it's fun to get baby stuff!! Kinda bums me out that I probably won't have a baby shower... :-(   But I'll get to start buying stuff once I get to Hawaii!! Only a week and a half left!!

30 weeks and a 3D ultrasound!!

Well I've reached a milestone! I'm officially 3/4 of the way there! I can't believe it!! I get more and more excited as the days pass...Gah!

Gabriel is just getting chubbier and cuter these days! (I know because I saw him via ultrasound!) He should be around 17 inches long and just over 3 pounds. His brain is growing a LOT now. Good thing I've been taking those Omega 3's!! His brain should be getting the characteristic grooves and indentations that we all see when we picture a brain. If that's happening now, though, I wonder what it looked like before...? Another big thing that he's starting to do is regulate his own temperature. Now that he can do that, he should start shedding lanugo (the soft, fine body hair that babies have while in the womb--sometimes you can see it on babies that are born early) which is what has been keeping him warm up until now. If he has any hair on his head, it would be getting thicker now (and his eyelashes longer), but the ultrasound tech says it looks like he doesn't have much hair! LOL At least not yet. If he's bald, I wouldn't be surprised--it's a Tramel baby trait. Hahaha... His head and body are getting closer to normal proportions, which means he is looking more and more like he will at birth--just really small right now.

As for me....well....I'm apparently going to gain about a pound a week now for the next six to eight weeks. Damn. I already feel big! My belly button is still hanging in there! It hasn't "popped" yet! And no visible stretch marks yet either! *knock on wood* It's getting more and more uncomfortable to sleep now...ugh. I can sleep on either of my sides and even my back, but I can't sleep in or sleep for very long periods of time because of extreme discomfort. I wake up with sore ribs and a super achy back. Ugh. I'm thinking that I'll just have to start taking little naps during the day to ease fatigue. And that will be easier to do now that I've gotten it approved to work from home! Anyway, I found out that I've been having sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions for a while--I just didn't know that that's what they were. I can't really feel them at all. The only way I can tell that they're happening is if I touch/prod/poke my belly and it feels "hard". Huh....so they've been happening all this time....didn't know that's what they were until yesterday when the u/s tech told me. Weird. Cool. Whatever.

SO! The biggest, most fun part of this post is NOW! I went and had a 3D ultrasound done yesterday! It was awesome! He was kinda bein' a little turd though! He kept rolling his face toward the placenta/my back or he would roll into my hip and snuggle up in that area. What a punk! LOL That, and he had his fists and arms covering his face a lot of the time, so it was hard to get a good face shot. I was almost a pissed at the little guy...if he weren't so cute....little turd nugget....HA! I just love him so much! I guess he didn't want his picture taken...Anyway--here they are!!

Okay, so this one and the next one aren't 3D, but it's cute! You can see half of his face and an elbow in this one. He has gotten pretty good and moving that elbow around--jabbing me in the ribs and stomach...

She labeled this one so people would actually believe me. That is his ARM! Check out that bicep and shoulder!! He's my little muscle man...hahaha!! He probably got that strong from punching away at my abdomen and ribs and bladder, etc....lol

So this one is pretty cute if you know what you're looking at. His head is on the left (looks like there's a big hole in it, but there isn't) and his right arm is crossed over his cheek/jaw (punk!). And then right in front of where his nose and eyes are, we have a cute little fist! Do you see it? With a little thumb crossed over the rest of his fingers!? You see it.

This is one of his many attempts to hide from us. He's rolled onto his side here. You can see his head and  a profile (well, an eye, a nose, and his cheek) and then, of course, you see his arm/shoulder. Look at him all snuggled up tight!! I guess he was just trying to sleep...

This picture is soooo funny to me!! You can't really see his head/face very well. You can kinda see a little fist/hand up by where his face is...But the most obvious thing in the picture is his leg (which is labeled. Duh) and his foot. Well, if you follow his leg down to where his little tush would be, you can see....YEP!! That's it, ladies and gentlemen!! Some boy parts! Hahahaha!!! I already have a blackmail  picture...teen years, I'm ready for ya!

You can kind of see a cute little blurry face in this one. See his eye and a nose and his mouth? He's adorable. Admit it.

I saved the best one for last! This one's a really good (mostly profile) shot of his face...and placenta....haha. I think it's cute--even though the umbilical cord got in the way and you can't see his lips. (That really bummed me out. I really really REALLY wanted a good face shot...)

I'm not going to lie--I was totally disappointed that these were the best pictures we could get. He just wasn't cooperating. I wanted to scream. And cry. Urgh!! But they're really not that bad and I've seen worse... And he's still my cute, precious little guy even though he wouldn't give us a good angle. I love him so much!! I can't wait to see him when he's here and I can hold him!! (Seems like that's the way he wants me to see him anyway...lol)

An in-between update

Gabriel has been SO ACTIVE lately. It's nuts! I like it though--I'm cherishing this time because I know it's going to be done before I know it. I'm really excited to hold him and play with him and WATCH him grow, but I'm really loving having him with me all the time and feeling his movements. I love it! I love Gabriel!

I went to a breast feeding class on Tuesday--what a great instructor!! I'm kinda bummed that I won't be delivering in Utah. IHC has really awesome programs and great facilities. I would have liked to deliver at American Fork Hospital. But who knows? Maybe Hawaii has an even BETTER hospital! Anyway, the breast feeding class was really good. I learned a LOT! It gave me a more solid resolve to really stick with breast feeding as long as I can. Even if I just pump and bottle feed. It's so far superior to formula feeding! The benefits are undeniable and the pros and cons to breast feeding outweigh the pros and cons to formula by FAR. And who can beat the price?! LOL

Today was a fun and busy day for me. I went shopping for some new clothes (I'm finding fewer and fewer suitable shirts and pants in my closet these days...), which was awesome! I found lots of cute shirts and some cute shoes too! No pants or skirts yet, but that's because I ran out of shopping time. I had to cut my little shopping spree short to go to my last "prenatal duo" class--the one with the horrible instructor. She wasn't AS bad this time... I was kind of annoyed being there anyway, though. A lot of the information they give you is geared specifically toward IHC hospitals and their procedures. That would be great if I was going to be delivering in AF still, but I'm not. We watched birthing videos tonight. It was....weird. They followed four different women's "birth experiences". One was your average, every day birth with an epidural and episiotomy. The second was a C-Section. The third was a VBAC (vaginal birth after cessarian--her first was a C-section and this was her second baby). And the fourth was a lady who had a couple of kids already and wanted to go completely natural. No freaking drugs. Holy crap. That one was, by far, the weirdest. Not because she was going natural, either. She did really well without an epidural--just breathed through it all and concentrated. The nurse came in a checked her and she was dilated to a ten, so they went to go get the doctor so she could start pushing. The doctor comes walking in like "Okay. Let's get things going then. I'm gonna--whoa! What...?! Did you start pushing already?" And then the camera pans down and you see the freakin' baby's HEAD already completely out!! So they're all scrambling to get gloves on and prep the area and then the baby just comes out! She didn't even push. Didn't PUSH!! The thing just rolled right out of her!! The doctor was like "Oh! Oh my! Okay--let's just....wow." He was barely there in time to catch the kid! And then the lady sits up and leans forward and starts trying to help wipe the baby off and she's totally chill. It was weird.

So anyway, my 3D ultrasound is tomorrow! I'm so excited!! I can't wait to see my little guy!!

Move it, shake it!

Holy COW Gabriel is sooooo active today!! He's been squirming and moving around almost constantly for almost two hours now! So nuts. Maybe it's because I was able to sleep through the whole night breathing through BOTH nostrils clearly....I've been stuffy/congested lately. Sucks. But last night was awesome! So that's my conclusion: He's super active because he's super oxygenated. LOL

29 weeks down, 11 to go!

29 weeks now! Okay, so I look like crap in the picture. Forgive me. I'm not feeling the greatest...blah.

The consensus is that he's nearing 17 inches tall now--within inches of his likely birth length! He's not very chubby yet, though. Only about three pounds. Between now and the time he's born, he'll more than double--maybe even TRIPLE--his weight! I'm hoping for the "double his weight" option though. Six or seven pounds sounds awesome. Ray's birth weight was a little over six pounds. Mine was eight and a half!! I was a fatty. Seems like that kinda runs in the family though. TJ and I were chunks. So was Lily. I guess I'll just have to wait and see! The bigger he gets, the less I will feel his movement because he won't have as much room to move around. That's a total bummer. One of the coolest things about being pregnant is feeling the baby move!!

I went to my first Prenatal Class last night. I'm not sure if I like the instructor or not...she didn't seem very open to more natural birthing methods. I got the feeling that she wanted all of us to feel like the doctor ALWAYS knows what's best and you, as the mother, don't have much say in how things will go when you deliver. From how she was putting things across, nothing is "optional" if the doctor wants it a certain way--which is totally not true!! Well, maybe it is at UVRMC (Provo Hospital), but that's total crap! If you don't want an internal monitor, you don't have to have one! And if you don't want an assisted birth (vacuum or forceps), you don't have to agree to that either! An epidural is NOT always the best form of pain relief/control. An episiotomy is NOT always necessary--even if it IS your first delivery! I just felt like she gave a lot of false/skewed information. I am glad that I have been otherwise educated and that I'm aware that I have more options than what she was making it sound like. She was just so...ugh...the opposite of empowering! She made it seem like we are just poor, powerless little pregnant women who are lucky to have doctors there to tell us what to do or else we'd be totally screwed. I'm glad my insurance is paying for the class, because I would demand a refund if I was the one shelling out for such crap information.

Anyway, I went in for a doctor visit on Monday. Everything is on track! We had kind of a funny moment when the nurse was rolling the monitor around on my belly to find Gabriel's heartbeat. Once she found it, she stopped and listened for a minute to make sure it was beating at a good rhythm/pace. Well, he decided he didn't like her listening in and kept kicking at the monitor! LOL it was funny. The nurse is Scottish, so she has this awesome accent and she goes "Oh my! He's a feisty little one, in't  he?!"  Hahahaha--that's my boy!! After that, I had to go over to the lab to get my glucose test started. For those of you who don't know, they give you this super nasty stuff to drink (it tastes like really sugary, slightly carbonated, weird melted popsicle juice....it's gross) and you wait an hour and then get some blood drawn. They test it to see how your body handles sugar. If your score is below 140, you're fine. If not, you may have gestational diabetes (meaning, you're diabetic while you're pregnant). They usually call if there's anything abnormal or "not good" and I haven't heard anything yet. I'm assuming I don't have gestational diabetes. Yay!! This calls for a celebration, I think! I'm going to go buy my favorite junk food and spoil myself. (I usually try to be healthy...)

28 weeks now!

Seven months!! Third trimester!! Crazy!! I can't believe how fast everything is going! I must admit, though, there are days where an hour feels like a day....but all in all it's pretty bearable. And my belly button still hasn't "popped" yet! Yippee!! 

This week Gabriel has reached 2 1/2 pounds and could be as long as sixteen inches! Apparently, Gabe's skill of the week is blinking. He is also may start dreaming when he sleeps! That's right--he's getting some REM sleep now. Pretty cool! He's still got a lot of growing to do, but he's getting closer by leaps and bounds as the days and weeks fly by!

This past week has been...ugh. Well let's see. Monday was fairly routine and boring. Just work. Tuesday, though....I spent most of my morning in the ER. Fun times. Needless to say, I stayed home from work that day as well as the next. And then the rest of the week was just boring work stuff highlighted with a movie here and there and a trip to the aquarium. Part of me really wants to push contact with every Rivera I know. But then I stop and remind myself that they will come around and talk to me when they are ready and willing. I just hate waiting. I guess I'm impatient...

I am really really really dying to start buying baby stuff!! I want to so bad!! I can't wait to get to Hawaii so I can start getting everything ready.

P.S. I thought I posted this last week, but I guess I just saved it as a draft...LOL--well here it is now! I changed the date in the post options, so I guess it will still look like it was posted when it was supposed to be....hahaha