33 Weeks

Our sweet girl scored a 10 out of 10 on her BPP/NST on Monday! She has been doing so well this past week. Robert and I are so thankful. We go back next Monday so keep us in your prayers.

We picked up her furniture, her room is painted and her chair comes in this week. I am so glad we have made progress! Can't wait until it all comes together.

We had a Babymoon to Destin booked for this weekend but decided not to go.  We are still going to spend the weekend together and go out for a nice date night - just in Hattiesburg and not 4 hours from the hospital.  I think it's hit both of us that we are at our last few weeks of Robert & Amanda (family of 2) time.  Crazy!

 33 Weeks

L's first Southern Miss game!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  33 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Baby Center says she should be 17 inches long and weigh 4 lbs.  She was 3 lb. 2 oz. last Tuesday.  They will check her size again next week or the next.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  18 pounds 

Maternity Clothes:  I actually kind of like them. :)

Gender:   It's a Girl - Layla Grace Lee!

Movement:  Her movement has been great since we were released from the hospital!  I am so thankful she is behaving again.

Sleep:  I only get a few hours at a time.  I've always been a great sleeper, 7-9 hours a night, but now I wake up at 3, 4, and 5 am!  Bathroom breaks have increased from 2 a night to 3 or 4.

Cravings/Aversions:  I still don't like food much.  Anytime I mentions something, Robert makes sure we eat it that day!

Emotions:  I had a big breakdown the Saturday morning that we ended up in the hospital.  It's like I knew something wasn't right.  Other than that, I haven't been very outwardly emotional.  Of course, I have moments of worry, sadness, and happiness but nothing too extreme.

What I miss:  Good sleep.  

Symptoms:  Fatigue, lots of bathroom breaks, and shortness of breath.

What I'm looking forward to:  Meeting Layla - I think some of the anxiety will go away once she is here and healthy.  Also, I have 3 showers next week so we are excited about seeing lots of friends and family and celebrating our sweet girl!

In other news, our football teams (Southern Miss & the Saints) have had a hard time the past two weeks!  I'm going to pretend they are just waiting until next year, when Layla can watch, to get show off!!

Our Dramatic Little Girl

Well, Layla officially has more spankings coming when she arrives.  We have been to the hospital 3 times in 5 days.  Our first trip was Saturday night.  I noticed L's movements had decreased over Friday and Saturday.  Luckily, I was at Phi Mu recruitment with Dr. Sessums so she called ahead and then gave me instructions on getting in.  We were hooked up to the non stress test machine (my new best friend) and she looked fine.  She even started moving!  But...the on call doctor came in and said I was having contractions.  I had no idea!  Contractions were so bad that he checked me and I was dilated 1 cm.  They gave me two rounds of drugs to stop the contractions and a steriod shot to help her lungs grow.  We had to go back 24 hours later for another steriod shot.  

Tuesday was my regular appointment for a biophysical profile.  Miss Priss decided not to move during the sonogram and ended up scoring a 2 out of 10.  That's NOT GOOD.  I could tell Dr. Washburne was worried.  She said I was being direct admitted to the hospital for monitoring and that if things didn't look better, we were going to have a 32 week 3 day old baby.  I didn't even get to leave the the facility.  Robert had to go pick up clothes for me once we were in a room.  Luckily, our sweet drama queen did well all night.  We had another BPP this morning and she didn't move as much so I was a little worried again.  Thankfully, she had such a good performance on the NST and the doppler scan that followed (along with good breathing movements) that she scored a 10!  We were released today.  I will go back for another BPP and doppler scan Monday and it is just going to be a monitoring game over the next few weeks.  Everyone's best guess on her random lack of movement is that she has a very long, hard sleep pattern.  Sound like anyone else we know?  Her daddy!

We have realized that we are going to have an early and small baby.  She was estimated at 3 lb. 2 oz on Tuesday.  Our sweet RN helped me realize that maturity is more important than size.  Layla needs to be able to breathe, eat and swallow on her own no matter how much she weighs.  That made me feel a little better about her small size.  In exciting news, we got to see that she has lots of flowing hair and is still looking like her dad but with chubby cheeks!  

I've learned that things don't always happen like you envision.  I thought I was to going to go into labor whenever Layla was ready to meet the world (no induction, no csection) and come home with a perfect little girl to a perfect little nursery.  Well, this week, without a nursery, I almost had a little girl via c-section that would have most likely been staying in the hospital while I came home.  Somehow I was so strong and had so much faith that she was in God's hands.  Whatever His plan is for her, I trust it.  If she is truly better off in the NICU than in me, that's where we want her to be.  Thank you to all our friends and family for all the prayers, texts and calls.  Robert and I are very lucky to have so many great people in our life.  We just ask that everyone keeps praying that L continues to grow and thrive so she is mature as possible when she enters the world.

I stole this from a friend's blog and now it is my motto for LG.

I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me. Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the Lord all his life. I Samuel 1:27-28

32 Weeks 3 Days

30 Weeks

We had an appointment with Dr. Washburne this week.  Layla will get a nonstress test every week  and an ultrasound (to check measurements) every third week.  Basically, I laid on a table for 30 minutes with a heart monitor thing attached to my belly.  I'm not sure what exactly they are looking for with this test, but she passed.  Now on to next week.  If the test doesn't go well one time, we will get two a week.  If she falls below the 10th precentile, they are going to take her at 37 weeks.  So really we just take it week by week and pray she is growing.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  30.5 Weeks

Size of Baby:  Baby Center says she should be 15.7 inches long and weigh almost 3 lbs.  Hopefully, she isn't too far off.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  15-16 lbs 

Maternity Clothes:  Oh, yes!

Gender:   It's a Girl - Layla Grace Lee!

Movement:  She moves all the time!  That's one of the things I have to monitor so I am thankful she is a busy bee!

Sleep:  I haven't sleep well in weeks.  I'm guessing it's just hormones?  I wake up in the middle of the night pretty much every night.

Cravings/Aversions:  I really just don't like food that much.  I thought pregnancy was a time to enjoy food!  Layla likes honey buns and fruit. :)

Emotions:  I feel emotionally and mentally drained and working my way to physically drained as well.

What I miss:  Good sleep.

Symptoms:  Fatigue, headaches and back pain.

What I'm looking forward to:  Meeting LG, but not for at least 7 more weeks.

After much research (from Robert, of course), Layla has a car seat and stroller! Now, if she just had a nursery.  That is our project for this weekend.  Fingers crossed that her indecisive mom can make that happen.

Our Little Girl

We had an appointment with the fetal medicine specialist in Jackson yesterday.  We have good news and bad news.  Her kidney size is smaller meaning some of the fluid has come off!  He thinks it is definitely a ureter problem maybe even a duplicate ureter - one functioning and one not.  Of course, we won't know the real reason until she is born, but the problem is not any worse!  Now the not so good news.  Layla has intrauterine restrictive growth.  What's that?!  Well, she is measuring at less than the 10th percentile for her gestational age.  She is barely under the 10 mark, but she is there and therefore I am now officially a high risk pregnancy.  The problem shows up in the 3rd trimester which makes sense because she measured right on track at my 26 week ultrasound.  Good thing is it's asymmetrical IUGR - her head and brain are right on track but her weight and length are not.  He doesn't think it is related to any birth defect or infection.  I have to get a biophysical profile every week to check her movements, muscle tone, heartrate and fluid amount.  As long as she scores well on the profile every week, we should be good!  If not, I will have to deliver that week - that's the scary part.  She is 2 lbs 5 ounces at 29 weeks 6 days so she isn't too far off track.  Robert and I honestly think she is just going to take after his side of the family and be a small girl.  He was under the growth charts as an infant.    Even so, no mother wants to hear that she is a high risk pregnancy.  I see my doctor on Monday to get more news.  I think we were too shocked at Dr. Perry's office to ask any questions.  I may be giving up the gym and learning to eat more but whatever it takes to help the little girl grow!  I know so many of you have been praying for Layla and we just ask you to keep on praying.  Pray that our little girl grows!!

In better news, I have proof that she is going to be like her daddy.  She looks just like him!

Things are Getting Real!

Robert and I are both starting to get a little anxious about this whole parenthood thing!  Even after being together 8 years, this whole process has brought us so much closer.  It's such an amazing journey!  We have less than 11 weeks until her due date and it's all becoming so real!!  Plus, my back hurts, my ankles hurt and I'm so hungry all the time.  It's really real.

I had my glucose tolerance test this week and passed.  We have 2 appointments this coming week - one with the specialist and one for her 4d ultrasound!  Then, I have my 30 week appointment the week after.  I should be a pro at doctor's appointments!

29 Weeks

Our next appointment with Dr. Perry is Thursday in Jackson.  He will do another anatomy scan and give us an update on her kidney.  Please keep us in your prayers!

27 Weeks

We had an ultrasound appointment this week, and everything looked good!  She had plenty of amniotic fluid and her left kindey is not any worse than it was 5 weeks ago at our appointment with Dr. Perry.  We see him again in 3 weeks and are hoping for another good report.  We seriously cannot thank our friends, family and church enough for all the thoughts and prayers!

We haven't bought anything for little girl!  Well, we ordered her furniture and bedding but nothing else.  I can't decide if we are really behind or not?!  I've heard from a few people that it's a good idea to buy a box of diapers everytime I am in Target (to spread the cost) so we started that today.  Layla officially has 2 boxes (they were on sale) of Pampers Swaddlers Newborn diapers!  I am going to get Size 1 next time.

It's been a fast and busy weekend.  We went to the Back Door Restaurant in Columbia with Brittany and Austin on Friday night.  Chrissy and I went shopping in Gulport Saturday and I got a Snoogle!  It is the best thing ever!!  Last night we had dinner with Chris and Amber and got lots of parenting advice!  Today we went to church and Target.  Now I have to pack up and head to Jackson for a week long work conference.  Ugh, I need a nap!

27 Weeks.

Closed eyes are my specialty.

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  27 Weeks

Size of Baby:  14.5 inches and 2 lbs according to Baby Bump.  She weighed 1 lb and 12 ounces at my appointment Thursday.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  11-12 pounds  

Maternity Clothes:  They actually aren't so bad!

Gender:   It's a Girl - Layla Grace Lee!

Movement:  She moves most during mid-morning, right after lunch, right after dinner and when I lay down at night.

Sleep:  My back has gotten really bad over the past few weeks.  Hopefully, my Snoogle is going to work miracles!

Cravings/Aversions:  Not really.

Emotions:  I can tell I am a little hormonal but nothing very noticeable.

What I miss:  Estancia Cabernet Sauvignon :)

Symptoms: Really just the lower back pain.

What I'm looking forward to:  Having a nursery!

3 Years & 25 Weeks

Our very spoiled, very smart, very sweet "first child" turned 3 on July 13!  I can't believe how fast 3 years went by.  I hope it doesn't happen that fast with Layla!

Happy Birthday Sugar Magnolia Lee!

I had my 24 week appointment last week.  Everything checked off fine - her heartrate was 135 and I measured perfectly!  I found out we will be going every 2 weeks until about 32 weeks and then I will be going weekly.  We will have a sonogram at least every 4 weeks.  The next one will be in a week.

25 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along:  25.5 weeks. The 2nd trimester rocks!  I feel so good!

Size of Baby:  1.5 pounds and 13 1/2 inches according to Baby Center.

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  10 pounds.  

Maternity Clothes:  I have made the switch especially for work clothes.  I feel like non-maternity shirts or short dresses look funny because my belly makes them shorter in the front.  Maxi dresses still work though!

Gender:   It's a Girl - Layla Grace Lee!

Movement:  She is a little mover and shaker and I love it.  It is amazing!  Robert finally felt her this week!    He was very excited about that.

Sleep:  Sleep is still good.  I get random leg cramps and some back aches.  

Cravings/Aversions:  Nothing sounds good to me except honey buns, really!  I am always starving in the mornings and then don't eat much at night.  

Emotions:  Not really.  I have been very busy with work and all my "community activities" as Robert would call them.  I think I am mentally drained.

What I miss:  Taking Nyquil?!  I've had a cold this week and would have loved to take some meds to help me out.

Symptoms: Just the random leg cramps and lower back pain.  I have been stretching really well - after the gym, before bed, and sometimes in the morning - and that helps.

What I'm looking forward to:  Meeting our sweet girl in 14.5 more weeks!