The Past Week - Sorry Again!

I have yet again lagged behind on this blog... My apologies for the thousandth time!!

So on Tuesday last week, we had our first non-stress test at the hospital (doctor appointment #22). For those of you who don't know (I admit I didn't!), a non-stress test involves monitoring the fetal heart rate and calculating the amniotic fluid index with ultrasound. The test takes 30-40 minutes unless the results indicate a need for prolonged testing or a biophysical profile. Anyway, so what happens is you crawl into this high up chair that is really uncomfortable, especially if you have your hair in a pony tail. Then they strap two monitors to your belly--one to monitor the baby's heartbeat, and the other to measure any contractions. Then you sit there for the 30-40 minutes while the computer charts the the results. If everything goes smoothly, you attempt to hoist yourself out of the chair and go home. And I don't know what happens if everything doesn't go smoothly, because everything went smoothly for us. Oh, and the nurse said that our baby was doing some fetal breathing and that that is a good thing.

On Wednesday, we hit Week 32. Here is your belated update!

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"This week your baby is tipping the scales at almost 4 pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. And growing isn't the only thing on the agenda these days. While you're busy getting everything ready for baby's arrival, baby's prepping for that big debut, too. In these last few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice, as he or she hones the skills needed to survive outside the womb, from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck his or her thumb for a while now (okay, maybe it's not a survival skill, but it sure is cute). Another change this week: Your baby's skin is no longer see-through. As more and more fat accumulates under the skin, it's finally opaque (just like yours!)."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

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Thursday of course was doctor appointment #23--another non-stress test at the hospital. This one went well, too, except for the fact that the baby moved too much and knocked the monitor off balance. The nurse had to come in and turn the ultrasound on to make sure he was doing okay. She said he was doing some more fetal breathing and that he was doing just fine.

On Friday, my step-sister, Taylor, graduated from high school in Layton. Ryan couldn't come to her graduation because he had too much going on at work and we were told about her graduation date a little late, but we are both proud of her! Here is Taylor with her dad and my mom!

On Sunday, Ryan and I were going to finish wallpapering the baby's room. Unfortuately, for the second week in a row, all Babies "R" Us had was one opened roll of the paper we needed. A girl looked it up for us and said that the computer said they had three in stock, though they obviously didn't... So we just ordered some online instead. It should be here tomorrow so hopefully we'll have a chance to get it up soon!

Also on Sunday, I saw our neighbor, Kathy, outside. Her niece was three weeks ahead of us in her pregnancy and was being induced early like us, so I asked Kathy if she'd had the baby yet. She told me that her niece had lost the baby--at her last ultrasound, the heart wasn't beating. Because we have a high risk of still birth, I was devastated to hear the news. I can't even imagine how it would feel to be so close to meeting my baby and to lose it in one horrible moment. Ryan and I are both so excited and love our son so much already. He is our world. As we get closer and closer to the end, I am so afraid of losing our little boy. I'm hoping that everything goes well and that I will be holding him in my arms in the next month or so. I've been nauseous non-stop for over a week now, and everytime the baby moves, it makes me feel even more sick. But I've decided now that it's worth the nausea. As long as the baby is moving, I'm told he is happy and healthy. Regardless, Ryan and I are truly grateful for any thoughts and prayers sent our way as the time draws ever near.

Yesterday was doctor appointment #24--yet another non-stress test. The baby did great again, so we were pleased to hear that.

Anyway, that's been the past week! The baby shower is this Saturday and my sister needs to know who is coming and who isn't, so if you haven't talked to her yet, please do! Or get in touch with me. Also, if you haven't received and invitation and would like to come, please let me know!

Hope everyone is doing well! Check back tomorrow for the 33 Week Update!

-Aubrey

The Past Week!

I am definitely lagging behind on this blog! My apologies. Instead of several different updates, I'll put the whole week into just this one. That way maybe I'll actually get it done!

Last weekend Ryan and I bought a new camera for my business. I'm really excited about it, because Ryan is going to be tagging along with me for some of my photo sessions. The difference between the old camera and the new camera is incredible--I really didn't think it was going to be worth the money, but it really is amazing! I was supposed to have my first bridal session that weekend, but the weather was terrible, so we kept rescheduling... We decided to try for Wednesday.

Monday last week, I had three doctor appointments. I woke up that morning and was pissed off that it was snowing. I've never been so mad in my life about snow, and I'm really not sure why I was so mad... But anyway, my first appointment (doctor appointment #19) was with the OB who once again told me I was measuring big but that everything else seemed good and that the baby sounded healthy. It was a short appointment and I went home right after.

Ryan came home to pick me up for doctor appointment #20. It was yet another ultrasound with a new doctor... I don't remember her name but I didn't really like her. The baby weighed in at 4 pounds, 8 ounces and his heartrate was 152 bpm. The doctor told us we were measuring 17 days ahead of schedule, which she interpreted as one week intead of 2-1/2 weeks... But whatever... She also asked us if we'd been offered any tests during our pregnancy to find out if the baby had any problems. We told her no and she didn't say anything about it or offer us anything. She then told us we'd start non-stress tests the following week and that was that...

Here are our pictures from the ultrasound!







Ry and I grabbed some lunch before he went back to work. I had doctor appointment #21 later on with the diabetes doctor. When I got there, they told me he was an hour behind schedule and that I could either wait for him or I could see his nurse practitioner, Sharon. I opted to see Sharon and found out that she was not someone I really wanted to see again... She asked me when my baby was due and I told her, and I mentioned (as I typically do) that I was being induced early. She asked me why I was being induced early and I said, "Well, because I'm a diabetic." She asked again why I would be induced early... I told her that I'd been told that diabetics had a high risk of having still births, so it was dangerous for me to go full term. "Oh," she said... Why is it every other doctor and nurse I've talked to knows about this and she doesn't?! Anyway, I told her I thought I needed some adjustments in my insulin but wasn't sure where to make them. She looked at my numbers and said, "Well, this looks good to me. We'll see you in three weeks." Thanks for nothin', doc...

So that was Monday. Tuesday, Ryan's youngest brother, Josh, graduated from high school. We hung out with their family for most of the day. We are all very proud of him!



Wednesday, we hit 31 weeks in our pregnancy! Here's the weekly update...

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"Though your baby still has 3 to 5 pounds more to gain before delivery, he or she is weighing in at an impressive 3-plus pounds this week. And at 18 inches long (give or take a couple because fetuses this age come in all sizes), your baby is quickly approaching his or her birth length. Also developing at an impressive clip these days: your baby's brain connections (baby has to make trillions of them). And he or she is able to put that complex web of brain connections to good use, too--already processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. Your brainy baby is also a sleepy one, putting in longer stretches of snooze time, specifically in REM sleep--which is why you're probably notgicing more defined patterns of awake (and kicking) and sleeping (quiet) times from your little one."

-text from What to Expect When You're Expecting

-photo from http://www.babycenter.com

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Wednesday night we finally got to do my friend Andrea's bridal photos! We went to Memory Grove Park, which is where Ryan and I did our own bridals/groomals. It was good practice for both of us and we got a lot of good pictures. I only have two posted so far, but feel free to check them out on my business blog at http://aubreyhopephotography.blogspot.com.

Thursday night, my baby brother graduated! Corbin is the last of the Leonard kids to graduate from high school. All three of us did it! We are all very proud of him, too.



I've been working on editing Andrea's bridals every spare chance I've gotten since we had our session, so that's what I've been doing (between my bouts of moaning about how the baby is huge and just won't stop moving and making me uncomfortable). I've got two people interested in me as their wedding photographer in October right now, and I've got a couple of people interested in senior pictures, in addition to my mom's office considering using me as their company photographer... I'm really excited that I've got so many people interested, so I've been putting a lot of time into my photo stuff for the past week! So I do apologize for my future laggings as well...

Yesterday was my 6-year anniversary with Ryan. We started dating six years ago... That feels like such a long time! It's cool to look back and see everything we've been through together, all we've overcome, the dedication and committment we've given each other. I'm so pleased to see where we were then and where we are today. We were a couple of crazy, lost kids six years ago, and now here we are as adults--married, expecting our first child, living in our own home... I love Ryan with all my heart and would not trade my life with him for anything. We tried out Market Street Grill last night for dinner to celebrate. It was yummy! But lucky me and my non-stop morning sickness, I didn't eat a whole lot... But it was still good.

Anyway, I think that's all I've got for you for now... Tomorrow we start the non-stress tests, so hopefully you'll get to hear about that in the next couple of days!

Hope everyone is well!!

-Aubrey