32 Weeks

I am 32 weeks pregnant today! Only 7 weeks until I get to hold my Sweet Baby Boy in my arms. I weighed in this week at 154 lbs. My weight is doing okay! At least it's not more than my last pregnancies. I have been craving cereal (Special K with Strawberries), Chicken salad, salmon, fresh fruit and sweets. The sweets is not a good thing, but I always crave this when I am pregnant. I finally bought some salmon to fix and I have been eating cereal and chicken salad everyday for breakfast and lunch. I was supposed to have my pre-admission appointment yesterday but my mom couldn't babysit at the last minute, so we actually did the appointment over then phone. I just have to go in there and sign the paperwork next week and everything will be ready for my admission to the hospital. I am always so nervous on how many people they will let me have in the room. I know it always works out, but I will hate it if they don't let me have everyone that I am wanting in the room. Jason and Alisann have first priority and then would have to be my mom. Jamie, Becky, Martha, Mary, and Grandma are next and I really want all of them to be able to be in the room if they want to be. Chances are Becky, Martha, and Mary won't be able to be at the hospital at that time anyway. They always say they like to keep it at no more than 4 and that includes Jason. They say that Dr. Leinenbach has final say and she is always so wonderful about letting whoever I want to be in the room be there. Everything went so great last time that I am probably going to do the same thing again as far as when we have visitors. I am going to have just the people that will be in the room at the hospital. Then after I have Lucas and Jason and I have some time with him, I will have Christian and Jax come to the hospital to meet there newest little brother. After We have sometime as a family of 5 and after my epidural wears off. The rest of both of our immediate families can come and meet the newest Pickerill! I want everybody to get a chance to meet Lucas without it being too crazy. I think spreading out when people come at first will help. We had so many visitors last time it was overwhelming. It was nice to have at least the first few hours somewhat calm. I am really hoping that I can have my same nurse I have had the last two times! She is so great, but I know the chances are slim that I will get her a third time. I do have my bags somewhat packed. I broke down and bought new Vera Bradley bags for the hospital. I like the Baroque print and I really like the grand traveler tote for and overnight bag. I kept telling myself that I didn't need it. I just bought all new bags and totes for when I had Jax. My obsession got the best of me and I bought not only the grand traveler bag, but the go around tote for my laptop and papers, the new cosmetic bag and toiletry bag. They did throw in a free ditty bag since I spent a certain amount of money. I have all my clothes that I am going to wear to the hospital and home from the hospital and I have one night gown. I still need to get one more nightgown and I really need to get some new tennis shoes. Mine have just about had it! I need to order some more make-up and toiletry essentials for the hospital. For some reason I like to have everything fresh and new when I go to the hospital. I am back to using MAC make-up and I am loving it! I also like to have a certain scent of body wash and lotion that I use in the hospital and only in the hospital, so that when I smell that scent it reminds me of that time. I haven't figured out yet what scent I am going to use yet with Lucas. I did manage to get a few things cleaned out around the house last week, not nearly as many things as I would have liked. I have a list of things to clean out this week and hopefully I will get most of them finished. Jamie and I have a craft day on Saturday so that should help knock out some projects for me. I haven't been sleeping very good at night lately. I wake up around 2:00 a.m. and can not go back to sleep until like 5:00 or 6:00. I just lay there thinking about how much stuff I need to get done and it keeps me awake. I am so ready to not be pregnant! It is so hard to bend over and pick things up and to just do anything! I am ready to lose this weight and get back in my regular clothes. I am ready for some natural color on my skin, not just the airbrush color. I can't wait to be able to drink wine again! I am dying to get into the steam room, hot tub, and sauna at tristate! I will miss getting to feel Lucas move, but I am dying to hold him in my arms and play with his tiny hands and feet! I keep trying to focus on the good things to come and not how hard it is going to be having three boys this close together. I really want to enjoy this as much as possible so I don't look back later and regret being so stressed and upset! I think I will relax more once my nesting kicks in and I can get some things done around here!

31 Weeks

I am 31 weeks pregnant today! I am using my weight from yesterday at the doctor which is 154 lbs. That is the same as I was with Jax. It would be great to only gain 4 more pounds. I will take what I can get. As long as I am not over 161 I will be okay. I am going to the gym more and eating a lot healthier, so hopefully that will help after I have Lucas. One thing that is good about the time of year that I am having him is that it is perfect for lighter and healthier meals. SOmetimes in the winter when it is cold heavier type meals sound better. I have been freaking out a lot this past week about having three at the ages they will be. I really don't know how I will survive. It will be so hard to ever leave my house with all three of them by myself. I am on the go a lot, so that will be a huge adjustment for me. We got our double stroller this weekend and I know that will help, but it is hard juggling two by myself right now. I can't even imagine what three will be like. At least the weather will be nicer and if I can't leave my house we can at least go outside to play. I have a feeling I will be living at my parents this summer with them having a pool and plenty of rooms for the boys to take naps. I have been really irritable lately and I think it is because I have been so stressed about everything. I have so much I want to get done around the house and I have no energy or motivation to do anything. I swear half way through the day I can barely keep my eyes open and I have to take a nap. I did manage to get the storage room somewhat organized so you can at least walk through it and I do have all the blogs caught up. I did start to work on Holidays 2010 photobook (that is how behind I am on Photobooks). I didn't get very far, but I am hoping to finish it this week. I am hoping to clean out and organize my stuff in the guest bedroom downstairs. Everyday I say I am going to do this and everyday I put it off. I really need motivation to get it done. This week I have been craving strawberries, Life cereal, salmon, and guacamole. I have my fair share of all of those things also. Lucas moves like crazy all day and night. Jason was feeling him move the other morning and he was loving it. Lucas had the hiccups so he kept feeling a constant bump. Christian has also been feeling him move. Christian gets so excited when he feels him. I haven't been sleeping the best at night because of this silly cold and having to pee. I can usually make it until about 5:00 a.m. and then I have to get up to pee. Sometimes I am able to go right back to sleep and sometimes I can't go back to sleep for anything. My heartburn is doing better with the medicine which is good. My lower back has really been sore lately. I have got to remember to pick up a heating pad. Mine that I had broke. I am still able to wear all my rings which is great. I seem to only swell in my hands when I walk and in my feet when I have been on them for a long time. Other than that I have had very little swelling. I will say one thing I am desperately needing is some color on my skin. I have been getting airbrushed, but the last couple of weeks I just haven't found the time to go. I am hoping for a really warm sunny day so I can sit outside and get some natural sun on my skin. We are down to 8 weeks, that is less than two months away! I am so nervous and excited for everything. I just try and keep telling myself that the time goes by so fast and that I need to just enjoy it as much as possible.

31 Week Doctor's Appointment

I had my 31 week doctor's appointment today. I weighed in at 154 lbs. I was happy about this because I only gained 1 pound this time. If I keep this up I will only weigh 158 lbs when I deliver which would be better than I did with Jax and Christian. I recorded Lucas' heartbeat today so I can take Jax and Christian to make him a bear sometime soon. His heart beat was in the 150's. We got distracted with trying to get a good heartbeat recording that she didn't measure me. I am guessing that I am measuring on schedule though. She said that there was no blood in my urine so I must have passed the kidney stone. That is a huge relief! She said everything looked great and that I will come back in two weeks again. I can't believe how quickly these weeks are going by. Part of me feels like I have forever of being pregnant and prt of me feels like it is going to be over in no time!

30 Weeks

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week! The count down is on, I have 9 weeks until I deliver and 10 weeks until my due date! I weighed in the week at 153 lbs. I ate really bad this past week since Jason was out of town and we had 3 days of celebrating Jax's first birthday! Everything turned out great for his birthday and his party. I was so glad that everyone was able to be here to celebrate with us. The only thing I would have done different is order more food. We had just enough and I like to have more than enough. Now that we are finished with everything on his birthday I am in total baby mode. Sunday Jason and I went and looked at double strollers. We found one that we both like, but it is so heavy that I can barely lift it to put it in my car. It weighs the same as all the other double strollers so I am just going to have to get used to it. We are going with the one the matches our car seat. It is the Chicco Cubes one. I also realized on Saturday that not having a room for Lucas is going to be a bigger deal than I thought. I was just worried about not getting to decorate a nursery for him. Then I realized, 'Where am I going to go when he wakes up in the middle of the night and needs a bottle and where are all of his clothes going to go?'Once I realized this I went in panic mode. I told Jason and the thought never crossed his mind either. Jax is definitely too little to not be in a crib and to share with Christian. As of right now are only solution is to move the rocker out to the family room and set up some kind of changing station out there. I will say we did find another house that we kind of like and I think we might go look at. It has 4 bedrooms so that is perfect for us! I doubt that we would be able to sell ours and buy that one before Lucas comes though. I am cleaning out the storage room this week and going through all the baby clothes for the first six months and getting some of them out. My plan is to also start on photobooks again this week. I am hoping to get Holidays 2010 finished. I have a little catching up to do on Lucas's blog and I have to blog Jax's birthday and then I will be all caught up on blogging! I cleaned out Jax's room last night and I am hoping to get Christian's all cleaned out today. I started back going to the group power class yesterday at tristate. I am really sore today! It really is a great class to tone and build muscle. I am hoping to go to it every Monday until I have Lucas. Building muscle I think will help me loose weight after I have him. Alisann and I walked yesterday after the class, so I definitely got a good work out in! I really want to start going to yoga again also. I LOVE yoga and pilates. Those are my two favorite classes. I am just bad about going by myself. I need a partner! I can not wait to be able to sit in the sauna and the steam room after I have Lucas. It is so relaxing and I think it will help me lose any extra water weight faster! This past week I have been craving cereal a lot, especially Life cereal! I am still loving strawberries but the craving isn't as strong. I have also been craving chicken salad. I think I am ready for spring! These seem to be more spring time foods. I am now wearing maternity shirts most of the time and I have actually been wearing maternity jeans this past week. I hate wearing maternity clothes! My regular clothes are getting too stretched out! I can still wear my regular pants with my belle band but sometimes it is such a pain to mess with. I ordered nightgowns for the hospital and my going home outfit, an outfit to wear in the hospital and an outfit to wear home from the hospital. I also ordered the boys big brother and little brother shirts to wear to the hospital. I am going to start packing stuff as soon as these things come in. I also started making lists of everything that need/want to do in the next 9 weeks and lists of things I still need to get for me and the baby. I am hoping to make a day trip over to Louisville this weekend to look at furniture at Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids and to look for a few odd and end things that we need. I know Jason is in the cleaning out mood so he might want to do that this weekend and go to Louisville next weekend. I guess we will have to see what all we get finished! Lucas has been moving like crazy lately also. It is starting to get a little uncomfortable. I swear he is doing flips in my stomach! My heartburn is doing a little better with the prescription medicine, but it is still not all the way gone. I wake about once in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and lately I have been able to go back to sleep which is great! I am hoping to get a lot accomplished this week so I can relax a little. I am starting to stress big time about everything and it is making me irritable!

29 Weeks & An Unexpected Trip To The Hospital

I am 29 weeks pregnant today! I am using my weight from yesterday which was 153 lbs. Now that we are past the Holidays hopefully I can keep the weight under control. I would really love to not be anymore than what I am right now. That means I need to lose weight so the baby can gain weight. We shall see how that goes! I have still been craving strawberries a lot. It sucks that they aren't in season right now because the ones you buy at the store just are okay. I am also craving chicken salad and tuna salad. I made some tuna salad the other day and have been eating that on a wrap for lunch this week. The heartburn has been awful lately. I am really hoping that the prescription medicine will help. Lucas is always moving like crazy. You can see my whole stomach move now. It is always so weird to see. Christian got to feel him move the other day and he thought that was pretty neat. He is always giving my belly kisses, it is so sweet! Today I started making lists of everything I need for the hospital and what I am going to pack and what all we need to still get for the baby. I have been trying to wait until after Jaxson's birthday party to do this, but I couldn't wait anymore. I have almost everything finished for his birthday and party anyways. The montage is complete and that was a big task, along with his photo banner. We are having it catered so I don't have to mess with food. I am going to get the last finishing touches of his decorations tomorrow and finish a few small projects for his birthday and we will be ready to go! I can't believe that in 10 weeks I will be delivering my third baby boy! I am so excited! I did have a bit of a scare later this afternoon and thought I was going to deliver him tonight! Earlier today I kept getting some sharp pains down by my bladder. It was nothing serious , so I just went on with my day. I assumed that it was the way lucas was positioned and that he was just kicking me. As the day went on the pains became worst and more constant to where I thought I was getting a bladder infection. The pain still wasn't unbearable so I took some cranberry pills and started drinking a lot of water to flush out my system. I figured if I caught it early enough I wouldn't have to get on meds or go to the doctor. Well, the more time went on the worst it got and soon it was time for me to leave for work and I had missed my window to go to the doctor because the office was now closed. As I was driving to my moms house to drop off the boys before heading to work the pain got to be very uncomfortable. Now it was to the point that I was going to have to get some AZO standard to numb the pain to get through work and the night and then go to the doctor first thing in the morning. When I got to Mom's and told her what was going on she insisted that I call the on call doctor being that I was this far along pregnant. She said that they would not want me waiting on this and that I could go to an after hours lab after work and then get started on medicine that much sooner. I totally did not want to call the on call doctor and bother them over some thing so ridiculous. I have had many bladder infections before and have always survived. The only reason I called was because I am pregnant and I should think more of the baby than of myself. Dr. Risinger was the doctor on-call and she got back with me right away. I told her my symptoms and she wanted to know my exact location. I told her I was on the road driving heading to work and that I was going to stop at CVS and get the AZO standard to take tonight and that I could come in the morning if that was okay with her. She wasn't crazy about me waiting it out and wanted me to come in and leave a urine sample before work, so she could get me on antibiotics tonight. She wanted to know my location because she was hoping to send me to a lab close to where I was so I wouldn't have to drive over to her office. I thought that was so considerate. Unfortunately there wasn't a lab on my way, so she said I had time to come there before my first client. She said she would wait for me at the office even thought they were already closed and I could just run in leave a urine sample and head to work. So I turned my car around and headed straight there. By the time i got to Lincoln and Vann I was gasping in pain and thought this does not seem normal. At this point I started to think maybe it wasn't a bladder infection and that maybe I was in labor. I started to get really worried that this was a very bad sign and that something was very wrong. By the time I pulled into St. Mary's parking lot The pain was in my lower back on my right side and it was wrapping around to the front. I started to feel very light headed from how bad the pain was. I barely made it in to the office and to the bathroom without passing out. I could barely see straight because I was so dizzy and the pain was bad. I felt too stupid to say anything, so somehow I managed to leave a urine sample. I then started to break out in a cold sweat and was seeing stars. I staggered out to the lobby and half laid, half sat on the couch. I knew there was no way I could drive and I did not want to pass out cold on the floor, so I sat there hoping the pain and dizziness would pass. Then a lady was passing by and not someone that works there, and she asked if I was okay. At this point I felt so bad and was in so much pain I knew I had to swallow my pride and tell someone that I needed help. I told her that I felt like I was going to pass out and her eyes got really big. She asked if I had much longer to go in my pregnancy and told me to focus on her. I told her that I was only 29 weeks and that I was worried. At this point the receptionist that was still there called a couple of nurses that were still there and they came and took over. To my horror they made me get in a wheelchair to go back to an exam room. I felt so bad keeping people there later and I was also worried about being late for work and my clients. The pain was so bad though that I knew I had no choice other than to be where I was I hopefully figure out what was wrong. ONce they laid me down on the exam table Dr. Reisinger came in. She told me that she wasn't going to be able to get me to work on time if I passed out. I told her I know and kind of laughed as I was gasping in pain. She said that I sounded fine on the phone and wanted to know what happened in that short of period. She had already checked my urine sample and said that there was blood in the urine, but no whit blood cells. This meant that I didn't have a bladder infection but that there was something definitely not right. She wanted to check me and make sure I wasn't in labor. I was still in a lot of pain at this point and still light headed but I managed to take of my clothes from the waist down so she could check me. The good news was that my cervix was completely closed and that the blood was not coming from there but from my bladder. I was so relieved that I was not in labor. The pain was way worst than any contraction or labor pain than I had ever had and I felt sick and my stomach had gotten so hard and tight. I thought for sure I was in labor and that I was going to deliver the baby right then and that would have been awful. I then got dressed and the pain was starting to get a tiny bit better. Dr. Reisinger then told me that she thought I had a kidney stone and that she would feel more comfortable if I checked into the hospital and had them monitor me and the baby and get fluids in me to try and flush it out. She also wanted to be sure that it was a kidney stone and not my appendix. I called my Mom to come get me to take me to The Women's Hospital and then I started calling my clients to reschedule them. In 11 years of doing hair i have never called in sick. I hated to have to do this to everyone. Dr. Reisinger was in shock that here I was laying on the exam table still in pain and calling my clients. She could hear me leaving voicemails as I was gasping in pain. I'm sure my messages sounded pretty bad. I will have to recall everyone tomorrow and apologize again and make sure I get them all taken care of. The crazy thing is that by the time my mom got to the doctors office to pick me up I felt 100 times better. The only pain I had was a dull pain in my lower back on my right side. I could tell it was leftover form the horrible pain from earlier. I told Dr. Reisinger that I felt fine. Hoping that I maybe I could go home. She said that she still wanted me to go to the hospital to keep an eye on the baby. She said that this is how kidney stones work and that it could come back at anytime and at least they would be able to control the pain better at the hospital. So off I went to the hospital. I got checked in right away and they started me on an IV of fluids and hooked my up to monitors to watch the baby and make sure I wasn't contracting. I felt so stupid because now I felt fine other than the dull pain in my lower back. My nurse was Jessica, she was the same nurse I had when I had my D&C. She was so awesome through all of that, so I was gad to have her again. She didn't remember me and I by no means expected her to. She has seen thousands of patients since then, but it was nice for me to see a familiar face. They kept me for about 3-4 hours watching things and giving me fluids hoping to flush out the kidney stone. Since I wasn't in anymore pain they decided to release me and send me home with a prescription for pain. They did say that I did have a couple of contractions while I was there, but I assured them that I was fine and did not feel anything. They said it could have been from the amount of pain I was in earlier or that I had a full bladder. Apparently having a full bladder can cause contractions and the stress of being under so much pain can cause contractions or put me in labor. They told me to drink lots of water and to empty my bladder every couple of hours and if the pain gets unmanageable to come straight back to the hospital. They said not to try and wait it out because they did not want to cause unnecessary stress on the baby that could cause early labor. The thing that sucks is that they don't want to do a CT scan to see how big the stone is or to see where it is on how long I have until I pass it because they don't want to expose the baby to any radiation if possible. They only want to do that incase of an emergency. They are hoping that I will be able to pass it on my own by just drinking lots of water. I am hoping for the same thing. With all this happening I am really in baby mode and need/want to get things ready. While I was going through all of this I kept thinking, 'I have nothing ready, my bags are not packed, this can not be happening now!' I think Jason and I will be spending the day Sunday getting things ready just in case Lucas does decide to make an early arrival. I was hoping to spend the day at home just the four of us with no interruptions and just relax, but I think I will feel much better getting some things done so we are ready for Lucas.

29 Week Doctor's Appointment

I had my 29 week Doctor's appointment this morning. I had to drink the orange drink first thing when I woke up and then head straight there for my glucose blood work. If there is a problem I will hear something in the next couple of days and if everything is fine then I won't here anything until my next appointment which is in 2 weeks. I weighed in at 153 lbs. which is more than I want to be, but at least it is the same as where I was last time. I measured 29 today and when I was pregnant with Jax I measured 28 at my 29 week appointment. I am really curious to see how big Lucas will be when he is born. Lucas' heartbeat was 146 bpm which is a little slower than what it has been, but Dr. Leinenbach said that was fine. She also scheduled me for my induction which we are planning to be on the 22nd. I am actually hoping to go on my own on the 18th though. I am trying to make the 17th my last day of work and I would like for him to have an even birthdate like Christian and Jax. Dr. Leinenbach prescribed me some heartburn medicine that she said was a wonder drug. I told her how the heartburn has been so unbearable lately and I had tried everything over the counter and nothing seemed to be cutting. She said that this should help and that it was fine to take while I was pregnant. I really hope this works, because I will not make it another 10 weeks with the heartburn like it is now. That all pretty much sums up my appointment. I go back in 2 weeks again for just a routine check up. I think I have 6 more appointments until I deliver and 1 of those will be an ultrasound. I am really looking forward to that one and I am looking forward to getting checked to see if I am dilated.

28 Weeks

I am 28 weeks pregnant today! I weighed in this week at 151 lbs. The flu hit our house pretty bad this week and now I have a cold. I swear I have not had this many sicknesses back to back ever! I'm sure it has everything to do with being pregnant and the craziness of the holidays. I have been craving cheesecake and fruit this week. Especially strawberries. I don't know what my deal has been lately with strawberries but I can not get enough of them. I have also been craving some salmon, so I am going to have to have that soon! I hate to say it because we have a long way to go, but I already have spring fever. I got all our Christmas decorations down and put away and I just got my new Pottery Barn Magazines in the mail. They are full of Spring things! I have so many lists of so many things that I need and want to do before Lucas gets here and before the warm weather hits. Right now I am concentrating totally on Jaxson's birthday! I can not believe it is almost here. This year has just flown by! I'm sure next year will only go by faster. My heartburn has been awful the last few night so I have not been sleeping good at all. My belly is in the way all the time now. It is getting so hard to bend over and pick things up and to put shoes on. I don't remember feeling this big this soon with Jax and Christian. I am going to ask Dr. Leinenbach if there is any prescription medicine she can prescribe for the heartburn. I am taking the strongest over the counter right now and It is just not cutting it. I figured up last night that I only have 80 more days until I meet my baby boy! I feel like I have so much to do before then. With the new year starting I really want to get a good routine schedule down for the next couple of months so I can get everything done. I haven't started swelling too bad yet which is good. I can still wear my rings. I hate when it gets to the point of taking them off. I finally brought up my maternity clothes for winter and hung those up in my closet. It does feel better to not have to constantly be pulling on my shirts so they will cover my belly. I am still wearing my regular jeans, but I did bring my maternity ones up for in the future if I need them. I am looking forward to getting my maternity pictures taken. I am just going to have a few shots but it is still fun! Alisann always does such an amazing job! I am really hoping to get over this cold quickly and to hopefully get most everything done that I need to for Jax's birthday this week! The weeks are going by fast, but I have to say not fast enough. I am so ready to not be pregnant and I still have a ways to go!