34 Weeks

34 weeks and feeling pregnant now!

How far along?  34 weeks, yikes!  I better start getting things ready for her!

Total weight gain/loss: +15 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 

Maternity clothes? Some.  I can wear shirts that are pulled in on the sides and struggling with pants because now my only ones that fit are my super stretchy jeans but I don't want to spend money on something I'm only going to wear for 6 weeks.  Seems silly.
Stretch marks? Not on my belly.  I have some on my sides but not sure if that's pregnancy related or not.

Best moment this week: Taking maternity pictures in the park.  We have such beautiful parks around here and I love that it's actually been nice a few day to enjoy them.

Miss anything: Missing an uninterrupted night of sleep.  From what I hear though, that isn't going to return any time soon.

Movement: All the time.  She's been head down for a long time so I'm sure she's getting bored of that position and being stuck so she likes to kick the inside of my ribs and punch the inside of my hip bones, not the greatest feeling in the world...

Food cravings: No, I wish I was craving something because then I would feel like eating.  I'm back to having very little appetite which does not work well with trying to get her protein so she will grown!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Strange and random things make me queasy, like green chilies this morning or that stupid candle that has been making me nauseated for the entire pregnancy!  How can something smell/taste so good when not pregnant and then be the most revolting thing in the world while pregnant?!  So weird.  

Have you started to show yet: Yes, I would say quite a bit, though still not where people expect me to be at 8.5 months.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: I have had a couple Braxton Hicks but nothing major, just enough to let me know what they are.  If they stay that easy then this whole natural childbirth thing is going to go great! (jk I know it is going to take some serious work)

Belly Button in or out? in but almost flush.  I think we will have in outie for a week or two at the end. 

Wedding rings on or off? On! Thankfully nothing has swelled yet and unless it gets super hot in the next few weeks I should be good.  I appreciate not feeling puffy and bloated as one positive if this pregnancy.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy but this week I have been somewhat of an emotional wreck.  It's partially hormonal and partially environmental but I have definitely cried more this week that usual.

Looking forward to: Moving into the next stage, where she is actually out and we can see her and watch her grow.  I'm officially over being an incubator and though I'm sure that has Rob says, it's easier to take care of them inside then outside, I'm ready to do the next thing.  40 weeks is a long time!

That's all for now.  I will try to update a little more on the rest of life in a couple of days.  

HAPPY DERBY DAY!

~Becky

33 weeks and counting!

Hey all, sorry I didn't get a post out last week.  It was a rather crazy week for me and I was so exhausted at the end of each day I couldn't think about writing.  I didn't even remember to take a picture!  I'm not so good at keeping on top of all this honestly...  So return from Florida was good though vacation is never long enough.  I arrived home on Monday evening and hit the ground running.  So much has been happening at work lately and I have been feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.  I'm looking forward to the upcoming maternity leave, that is for sure!  I had Tuesday -Thursday to try and get caught up on paperwork and then we had friends come into town for preview days here at Southern and so Thursday and Friday were spent with them as much of the time as possible. 

I had a baby shower with my family planned in northern Michigan that my sweet cousins, Carrie, Kristen and Laurie put together for me, so bright and early Saturday morning I got up and drove the 7.5hrs there to see them and celebrate our wonderful new family member.  I was able to meet my dear friend Stephanie in Grand Rapids and she drove us the rest of the way to the shower so that was a nice little reprieve.  Baby O does not like it when I sit in the same position for that long of a time.  She likes to move around and likes when I am active, that is for sure!  

I had such a wonderful time up there!  I don't get to see most of my family nearly enough and for some of them it has been several years since we have been in the same place at the same time.  I guess it's the curse of a big family, but I feel so blessed that they came out to celebrate with me and to share in our overwhelming joy at this new little life God has blessed us with.  I was certainly overwhelmed by the generosity that was shown in the preparation and the gifts and am so excited to be able to use all of the wonderful things that our little girl received.  I have certainly been blown away throughout this pregnancy, with the way that God provides even when I don't see it happening, and though I still see many areas ahead that require a lot of trust, I know that I can leave it in his hands.  He will give us what we need exactly when we need it.

I returned to Grand Rapids with Steph after the shower and spent that evening and Sunday morning with her family.  After lunch, I fueled up and headed back to Kentucky to meet up with Rob and a few of our friends for some late evening ice cream.  There's nothing like Comfy Cow ice cream after a long drive!  Does my husband know how to make me happy or what!  ;)  Such a great guys. 

This week we had our final Bradley birthing class and at this point I guess we are suppose to feel prepared... I'm not so sure I feel as prepared as I should be but I know everything will work out fine and barring any complications, we will have a natural birth and a new baby girl joining our family in less than 2 months!!  I can hardly believe it!

Ok so now for the questions...

33 Weeks

How far along?  33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +13 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 36 inches

Maternity clothes? sadly they still are too big but now my regular clothes are getting to be too small, at least my pants, so I'm not sure what to do.
Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Getting to spend some good quality time with my husband and going through all of our baby gifts to see what final things we need before she arrives.

Miss anything: sitting without my ribs being kicked and my belly moving of it's own accord.

Movement: Kicking, rolling, punching, practicing her karate and soccer moves.  She's gonna be ready to play with daddy on day 3!

Food cravings: No, starting to get some serious reflux so mostly back to the bland foods like 1st trimester

Anything making you queasy or sick: just laying down at night and getting reflux.  Tums and I are good friends!

Have you started to show yet: Thankfully I am no longer getting the, "You're PREGNANT??" question all the time.  Now people can tell and just ask me when I'm due.  It's a nice change for sure.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope, but I think I have had a few braxton hicks though not consistent or intense.

Belly Button in or out? In but it's getting so close to flush!  Gotta get the maternity pictures done before it starts looking strange.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and very tired.  I have had a few crying spells though really not much and I'm starting to get some crazy dreams.  Not a whole lot going on other than very sleepy.

Looking forward to: Finding out some solid information on the house we are hoping to get and getting the final essentials for Baby O before she gets here.  Still need her car seat, stroller, and dresser/changing table but those things are bulky so we are trying to wait until the last minute and hopefully not have to move them twice.

Please pray with us that our house can close quickly and we can be at least somewhat settled before she arrives.  It's getting down to the wire on the paperwork and I would really like to have at least moved in to the other house and not have to move with a 2 week old.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

~Becky

Midweek musings

So life has been very hectic lately.  I have been in Florida since last Friday to spend time with my sister while my mom is on her very first missions trip without any family.  She has spent the last 10 years with my sister as her shadow and has bravely decided to leave for 8 days to participate with her church in serving a community in Belize and ministering the gospel through love and deed to them.  I am so proud of her and blessed to be her daughter, she is such an example of strength.  Meanwhile, Alice and I are spending the week together in Sanford, having some good days and some less than ideal days but we are doing good and it is such a welcome break for me from the winter and from my usual schedule.  The sun and the Florida air bring my a calm and joy that cannot really be described.  I am blessed.

Meanwhile in the Ozburn world, we are entering our last two months before baby O arrives, we are in the slow but surprisingly smooth process so far of buying a short sale house, there are some interesting deadlines with that who process and Rob is trying to finish up this crazy semester he has undertaken.  Things are moving quickly and at times I am so nervous that we aren't going to be ready for her to get here and that we won't have the things we need for her.  Looking at budgeting for a new baby and buying a house is nerve wracking.  I know that God will provide what we need exactly when we need it, and he is already proving that with this house process but I've been struggling so much with being able to just let go and prayerfully trust that this is all within His plan.  He has really been working on me and I think us together lately, that stepping back and allowing His plan to be come together without our interfering will grow us in our faith, in our marriage and ultimately will give us a greater peace because, regardless of what we try to do His plan will happen anyway.  We have been working out the details of the things we need to change and update on the home and figuring out all of the budgeting details as well.  The last thing we need in life right now is a project.  We don't have the time, money or energy with a new addition on the horizon, to be taking on massive DIY projects and endless honey-do-lists to take up our weekends.  Our time will already be so limited with school continuing, work and baby that we need to be careful we really evaluate our wants vs. needs vs. extravagant desires that are not realistic or necessary.  I always said that the two things everyone complains about in marriage (sex and money) were not going to be a problem for us and yet here we are having to have money conversations and learning what it means to really be on the same page and address the need to budget and compromise.  I am learning that even these things are meant for our good and for our growth.  I am learning each day to pray in faith that we will have the finances to make life work post-baby and that all of the essentials for the baby will be provided for us.  There are so many little things that are necessary but I know that if I trust, it will be provided some way.

~Becky

31 weeks! (and a photo update from missing last week)

30 weeks

31 weeks (I had to take my own...)

How far along?  31 weeks!  I can't believe it!

Total weight gain/loss: +12 lbs from first drs visit

Belly measurement: 35 inches

Maternity clothes? not yet, I tried last week but they are all too big
Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Getting to Florida and having my first two baby showers!  The girls from work planned a joint baby shower for myself and for my supervisor who's also pregnant.  That was a really fun afternoon.  Then getting to Florida and being able to see everyone at the baby shower on Saturday.  It was so nice to see most of my friends (not everyone was able to make it).

Miss anything: This week I'm doing pretty good.

Movement: Still moving all the time, she is pretty much in the same location all the time and just kicks, rolls and pushes when she's trying to stretch out.

Food cravings: not really

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, though I did struggle with carrots last week.  Thinking I might avoid those for a few weeks.

Have you started to show yet: I actually had someone ask me when I'm due a week ago!!  I was so excited that someone could finally tell.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy but nervous about getting our housing arranged and being able to afford all the essentials that we need for her to come, it's all so expensive and not as fun to buy.

Looking forward to: Figuring out our housing, family baby shower in a couple weeks and getting things together so I feel like we are ready for her.

Just some sisters chillin' at the beach

Favorite view in the world

Not much else to report.  Spending the week with my sister Alice in Florida and already made it to the beach yesterday.  It was glorious. I am already a little bored but it certainly is a nice change from the last week!

~Becky

Week 29: Acorn Squash

Just in case you were curious, this is about how big Baby Oz is.  Sometimes I think the produce comparison is interesting and sometimes it's just strange, but hey, at least we have something to compare it to.



Average size: 15.2-16.7 inches, 2.5-3.8 lb.
At 29 weeks, she’s not just moving a lot, she’s also plumping up. And as she continues to put pressure on your digestive system, you’re going to feel the effects.





So there are 11 weeks left and the nursery design and everything else prep has come to a complete stand still.  I can't figure out any more details until I know what room this is actually going to be in.  I can't figure that out until I know where we are going to be living, and I can't figure that out until we make a decision about this house...  Not the position I wanted to be in with just under 3 months to go but it is alas the place we are.  I know that we have prayerfully considered all of the options and with the information we have we are thinking that purchasing a home would be the wisest investment for the amount of time we will be here and the space we can get for it.  We are hoping to put in an offer on our desired home sometime this week and are praying that the process goes smoothly, everything is approved quickly and our offer is accepted.  I know I feel a peace about this decision but it's still nerve wracking thinking about actually taking a leap of faith and purchasing a home.  We have made it to almost 30 without making any large purchases like this and suddenly we have decided that it might actually be a good idea.  Not sure what we are thinking but I know that we are trusting God's direction in this and if he is directing it, he will open the doors to make it happen in the time we need it to.  We just need to learn to trust and lean on Him.  A lesson I feel I am always learning and never mastering.  Does anyone ever master this?  Do I have any hope??  So I'm just working away, watching the weeks fly by faster than they ever have before and not believing that in 3 short months I will be on maternity leave actually holding my little girl and trying to manage to keep her alive.  It's crazy that they let such inexperienced people try to care for a helpless little person, but I guess we all learn!

Look I even put on normal clothes this week :)

How far along?  29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +11 lbs from first dr. visit

Belly measurement: 34 inches

Maternity clothes? no but I have discovered the wonderfulness that is the hairtie button hole extender.  Man jeans are more comfy
Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Rob to look at baby stuff with me Saturday morning and just walking around.  He really doesn't like looking at any of it so that was a big sacrifice on his part, though I always wanna look more ;)  I really love him for doing it with me.

Miss anything: hmm, right now, eating sugar without getting my insides kicked out as payment for it

Movement: All the time and crazy hard!  She flipped head down on Monday last week so she is kicking my ribs hard core!

Food cravings: not really

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, though I did get sick on Sunday.  Don't think it was prego related though

Have you started to show yet: Yep she's finally starting to make her presence known, though I still hear daily that I'm really tiny...
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope

Belly Button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: I am not really either as the weather is making things rather dreary around here but I wouldn't say I have been too emotional 

Looking forward to: Getting things rolling on a place to live and meeting our baby girl, also the end of winter would be wonderful!  Just saying...

That's all for now.  Let me know if you have any questions cuz I'm running out of things to write about this week :)

~Becky

The final stretch

Well, for all who have been tracking.  We are at 28 weeks and officially have entered the third and final trimester, yikes!  Who knew it was all going to go by so fast?!  Seriously, believe people when they tell you it will fly by, they aren't just saying it.  So the wonderful benchmark of the third trimester is this wonderful thing known as a glucose test.  Whoever invented this test has lost their mind.  It is a new form of cruel and unusual punishment for poor mothers who are just trying to keep their baby growing for another 12 weeks or so and then produce it healthy into the world.  I suppose that it was more of a difficulty for me than most as I do have some medical complications that make things more interesting.  So I went in on Tuesday for my 28 week appointment and to complete this lovely test of not eating after midnight the previous day, sitting in the waiting room for 30 minutes extra because they were doing a lot of these tests on Tuesday, drinking some not terrible tasting super sweet orange flavored juice and then being told that for at least another hour I was still not allowed to eat, which ended up being another hour and a half before I actually was able to get to some food.  Now normally this would just make someone a little crabby and jittery, however, I have hypoglycemia (the opposite of diabetes).  This is something I have had all of my life but I have never bothered to have it officially diagnosed as drs. didn't believe it existed when I was very small and I knew what it was and what I needed to do so a diagnosis wasn't going to make much difference to me.  Well this was definitely to my disadvantage.  After about 30 minutes of sitting with this stuff in my system, I could barely think straight and I was getting very weak.  I sat for another 30 minutes after I met with my midwife and heard the heartbeat to confirm our little girl is doing just fine.  She is measuring a little small right now so I guess we are going to need to increase protein intake to ensure she is growing!  They sent me back out to the waiting room to wait until the end of the necessary hour to draw my blood.  Eventually she called me back and took three lovely vials of blood, which only added to my already light headed and weak feelings.  I left the office, having a hard time seeing straight and barely with the energy to walk to the car and looked for the nearest restaurant.  The only thing close was McDonald's and let me tell you, not the protein rich food you really want for yourself at this point.  So I ate some of that and then proceeded to feel slightly out of it and weak for the rest of the day as my body never really did balance out the sugar levels and get things back in order.  Needless to say, I will be getting an official diagnosis to avoid this if I ever encounter the need to potentially take another one of these tests in the future!

Now on to the update...

how far along: 28 weeks 1 day
total weight gain/loss: +10 from first dr. visit 
circumference at belly button: 32.5 inches
how big baby is: 

Week 28: Eggplant

Average size: 13.6 -14.8 inches, 1.5-2.2 lb.
Immune system is preparing for the outside world...

maternity clothes: not yet. hoping to hold out till it's warm enough to wear the summery things my friend Amanda let me borrow
stretch marks: nope
sleep: Good.  Up 1 time usually at night to pee
best moment this week: She flipped to a head down position on Monday.  Wierdest thing I have ever felt but her kicks aren't as intense most of the time now.
movement: Several times a day she has her sessions of movement.  I could see her moving around all over under my shirt.  One seriously active child.
food cravings: not really
gender: GIRL!
labor signs: Nope
belly button: stil in
what i miss: Feeling in control of my internal organs
what i am looking forward to: all the upcoming baby stuff (showers) and getting to rest.  Trimester 3 is already more exhausting.

27 weeks! only 90 days left...yikes!

Well I'm officially in the last week of the second trimester and I cannot believe how fast this is going!!  She seems like she must be growing like a weed in there with all the room she is trying to take up, but it certainly is making me want her to come out very soon!  I look forward to the day that my insides do not attack me at will with punches, kicks and headbutts.  She certainly does not let me forget she is there though!!

how far along: 27 weeks
total weight gain/loss: +8 from first dr. visit (I guess I must have had a heavy dinner last week)
circumference at belly button: 34 inches
how big baby is: the size of a rutabaga (I'm guessing that's for weight) 
                                       13.6 to 14.8 inches long and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds

maternity clothes: no but the jeans are getting a little snug, going to move to leggings soon as maternity pants are too big
stretch marks: nope
sleep: better this week.  Only up 1-2 times per night for the bathroom but able to sleep a little better, that is when little one isn't deciding it's wake time.
best moment this week: getting her bedding in, all of it, and getting some other pieces for the nursery!
movement: all the time!  She is starting to really push on the outside of my stomach not just kick so you can feel different body parts when she's doing that
food cravings: sugar, sometimes soda
gender: GIRL!
labor signs: Nope
belly button: in but I did notice that it's more out than I have ever seen it
what i miss: Pregnancy: feeling in control of my stomach and my bladder
                             Non-pregnancy: the sun and warm weather
what i am looking forward to: My trip to Florida in April and our baby shower.  Figuring out where we are officially going to be living.  We can't make up our mind so please pray with us that something will open up and be exactly what we need at the price we need.

On to other new...
We officially have a complete set of bedding!  I'm so excited that the nursery can officially begin it's development in real life and not just in my head and on pintrest boards.  We got the quilt in on Friday last week and I then proceeded to start ordering some of the accessories for the nursery.  We got the rug, storage bins and wall hooks in yesterday and should be getting some art work in today or tomorrow.  My vision is starting to take shape and I just love it!!  It's a beautiful little pink, beachy oasis and there isn't even paint on the walls yet.  I'm not sure if there will be paint as we need to settle on a home for sure before I put that kind of work into something.  Right now I'm thinking maybe painting it a blueish green with stripes on one wall and the rest solid.  We shall see.  It will all need to come together and then I can tell what will look right.  For now, here is what the room looks like, or at least the pieces that we just got it look like together.

I'm still working it all out but I think it will look nice when it's all finished. 

~Becky