Well... I went to the the doctor today and I am 2 centimeters dilated already! Which is good since I was worried that I wasn't even having "practice contractions". They checked my blood pressure and it was still a little higher than it should be. So, Dr. Hill wants me to come in twice a week and check my blood pressure. If at some point it is getting too high, we will talk about induction. Then, she said that she will be out of town from the 11th to the 13th. So, if she feels that I might have the baby during that time, she will probably induce me on the 8th! She really sounded like it would probably come before the 22nd though. Your blood pressure just gets a little higher everyday at this point in pregnancy, so there is really no telling. It will just be a day-by-day thing that we will have to keep everyone updated about! I am nervous, but so excited!

We had an ultrasound on Saturday. We had a full room with me, Asa, my mom, Joel, Emily, and Donna all there to see it. Unfortunately, the baby did not want any of us to see its face and kept it hidden. But we will see it soon enough! The estimate was that the baby weighs around 5 pounds, 11 ounces right now. And that's right on target! So, all that worrying about the baby being too big was not really necessary. It makes me feel good that I have been taking care of myself the way I should. My blood pressure isn't really something I can change, so I just need to rest inside as much as I can.

I think it kind of hit Asa at the appointment how quickly this may be happening. We got home and he asked if he could skip work today and build the shelves in the baby's closet. He is really excited and I can finally tell. He has always been excited, but it always seemed so far away... until now! Even if things don't change and we last until our due date, that's still only three weeks away! I feel like we have so much to do between now and then!

I Hate Summer

I used to love summer... but I think after this one, I will never feel the same about them. I can't even walk to the car at this point without sweating. It's miserable!!!!! I feel so ugly because I can't leave my hair down or wear make-up anywhere. But the good news is... it will be over soon! I officially have about a month!

I went to the doctor on Tuesday. I had been getting really hot, even in the AC, getting headaches that lasted a while, and sweating while I'm just sitting there. So, she checked my blood pressure and it was a little higher than it should have been for me. The nurse also said that my face and hands looked a little swollen. So they said they needed to run some tests and would call me later that afternoon to let me know what they said. So, the nurse hands me a piece of paper that has all the tests on it. I really just thought she was just letting me know what was going on, which I appreciated. So, I go to work. At 4:45 that afternoon, one of the other nurses calls me and says that they haven't gotten my results from the hospital and wanted to know when I went over there... well, I didn't know I was supposed to. Oh, and the lab closes at 5:00! So, I rush over there to get my blood drawn (the most painful one I have ever had). So, yesterday the doctor's office calls and tells me that it all turned out fine. They want to keep checking my blood pressure twice a week.

In other exciting news, my mom is coming home tonight, I am getting a 90 minute massage on Friday, and I have an ultrasound scheduled for Saturday! Three exciting things in a row! I am really excited to see the baby since I haven't seen it in a few months. It will probably look like a bigger version of what I saw then, but I am still looking forward to it.

I was thinking this morning about how neat it is to be pregnant. I love the feeling. Sure, there are things that everyone hates about it like the swollen ankles, heartburn, not being able to sleep... but there are so many things about it that feel wonderful. I am really going to miss the feeling of the baby moving inside me, the look of my huge, round belly, and just feeling like I am completely taking care of someone. I will miss it, but I also know it will be even more exciting to actually have the baby here!

No Worries

The doctors are relaxing on me! I went in this morning to have my blood sugar checked and everything was normal. So, I don't have to come back next week... for the first time in a month and a half! I feel relieved not to have to worry about it for a while. I have also lost two pounds, so that means that the extra weight I have gained was probably just "water weight". So, yay!

Sleeping has just been miserable. I dread going to bed because of how uncomfortable I am when I get there. I have to wake up every time I need to move, my hips and shoulders always hurt, and I don't have room for all the pillows I need to make it comfortable. So, I am planning on kicking Asa out of the bed pretty soon...

We had our second Childbirth class last night and I really enjoyed it. Last time we talked about breathing and how important it is. My instinct when I am hurting is to hold my breath, so I really have to concentrate on not doing that. We also talked about stretches and exercises that will help us later on. Last night we watched a slide show of pictures of a birth and talked about the different parts and stages of it. The instructor keeps talking about how different things are from how they used to be years ago. A woman in labor used to be forced to lie flat on her back for the delivery, making it really long and difficult. Now that women can move around and try different positions for labor and delivery, gravity is helping it move along quicker. This really makes me wonder what I want to do. I don't think that I will be able to do it all without an epidural, but I don't want to be confined to my bed the whole time. And I want to be able to help it happen rather than just lying there. So, I am going to look into other pain relief options. I don't want anything that will hurt the baby, so that will definitely be the most important factor that I consider.

Names

It is really hard for Asa and I to agree on names we like, and it's getting hard to think of new ones! So here are some of the ones we like (or maybe the ones I like).

For a Girl:
Avery Rain Vermeulen
Lyla (Something) Vermeulen
Marley (Something) Vermeulen

For a Boy:
Maddox Rain Vermeulen
Milo Parker Vermeulen

We really want something that is not common, but not crazy. (And it has to go with Vermeulen, which is pretty hard) I really like names that have a "v" in them, like Oliver, Violet, or Olivia. But Asa doesn't. And, of course, Asa wants his son to be named Asa... we're still talking about that though.

So, someone help us!

By the way...

Hello Everyone!

We had another appointment today and everything is pretty much the same. I am not growing too much too fast yet. I am measuring at 35 weeks and I am 33 and a half. But the nurse says that could be based on several different factors such as a growth spurt, the baby's position, the way my body is shaped... or a few of those. So, no one is really worried about it right now and they have not officially changed my due date. I was supposed to have my blood sugar taken, but the new nurses didn't know where the stuff was... So, everything is still set to be the same way it was.

We also went to an interview with a pediatrician for the baby. I liked her a little bit, but right as we were leaving she said "Oh, I will be on vacation when your baby is due, so I might not be here when you have the baby." And then I had to pay her for an appointment even though I only took up 10 minutes of her time! I guess this might be standard whichever pediatrician I go to, but I think it's really annoying! I don't even know if I want to use her and I have already paid her! I just didn't get a good vibe from her, so I think I'll move on to the next one.

The nursery is completely set up and usable for when the baby gets here. Now, the stuff we need are things like breast feeding tools, pacifiers, toys, diaper bag, and diapers!

I am getting more excited each day!

I Passed Again

Well, I had another appointment today to check my blood sugar levels and I passed! I asked the doctor if I should be worried at all and planning to have my baby at the end of July. She said that at my appointment on Monday she will measure me and let me know what I should be planning for. If I am measuring a little big still, she will have to move up the ultrasound. So, I am just trying to eat as healthy as I can so that I can avoid having a big baby. I also have to try to exercise everyday to combat the sugars. So, everyone hope for the best! The nurse at the doctor's office knows if we are having a boy or girl and she rubs it in when we go! It has been really hard not to make her tell us!

Well, our nursery is looking really good! We have the crib and dresser/changing table put together. We also have about 10 small posters of different animals that we will be hanging around the room. The walls are painted green and the room is going to be a jungle/safari theme with animals everywhere! Asa and I both love nature and animals, so I really hoping that that will be important to our child also.

We have our first childbirth class this Thursday evening, so I'll let everyone know how that goes!