3rd Trimester and Update

So far - the third trimester has been my favorite by far! Although I have had a cold and a couple of scares, I have had the most energy and been able to do the most! And my good friends Sharon from my ward and her daughter-in -law who I worked with at Brighton Girls Camp threw me a shower for my ward friends. That was so fun and the ladies from the ward really spoiled us! People are so generous!! 

I don't like showers typically. Even my wedding showers - just not a huge fan of being center of attention. I like being the side show. :) Baby showers especially have always been very painful as we've tried to get pregnant through out the years. I pulled up to the house and there were all these pink balloons up and I sighed and thought - I hate showers. But then I looked and read the balloon that said "It's a Girl" and remembered - that's OUR girl that balloon is talking about! And it was like reality slapped me in the face that this shower was for ME and that I am having a baby!! AHHHHHH :D Once I relaxed a bit and found a comfy chair, I really enjoyed the party. We received mostly clothes and they are ALL so darling!! They are now hanging in her closet waiting to be spit up on! ;) 

Because of the energy boost - we've been able to get the nursery cleaned out completely, the crib up (of course Mike did that), and the room mostly set up. There are still a few things to do - like paint he shelves and hang them, and some decorations. I am making the crib skirt, a cover for the bumper to match the quilt my Sister in Law made for us. And the drapes. I also want to make some wall hangings, maybe a baby bag, and a cover for the chair we are using. Obviously some of this will have to be done later. So still some projects to get done. But it does look like a baby is coming and I love that! Willow doesn't so much though - I think all the changes are making her nervous - she peed on our bed the other day for no reason. :( This is going to be fun! 

From here on out we have a lot to do! While I'm working on those projects listed above, Mike is in full swing training mode for his 1/2 Iron Man that is only four weeks away!! WOW!! I'm so proud of all he has done - he has worked so hard. Because it's in St. George I won't be able to go see him, but I will be with him in heart. We do have some family and a friend going with him, so that's good! He needs good cheerleaders!!

Other fun things - I'm starting to actually fill out my bra! Woo hoo! :D That's a first! And my ankles are swelling pretty good most days, if I don't remember to wear compression socks and keep my feet up. And last but not least - I've learned that prunes are a miracle fruit - I won't say anymore than that! ;)

Now for the yucky stuff - mostly just so I have it documented. Read it or not - whatever. Beware - may be too much info for some. :)

About three weeks ago we went in for the last ultrasound with the Research study we are participating in. I was pretty excited because we were getting 3D pics. I know most people think they look creepy - and I'll admit some of them do. But we got two really clear shots of her face and she is so cute! We invited my parents along and they really loved getting to see her.

After my parents left they also did a vaginal ultrasound. They said everything looked fine until she pushed on my stomach, that made the top of my cervix - next to the uterus - start to open. She was concerned about this and sent us over to the midwives to be checked. They did two tests, one was a swab to see if I was leaking amniotic fluid. The other was a digit test to see if I was dilated. I was not prepared for what the digit test meant - so that was not a pleasant experience!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haha But the good news was I was not dilated. The test for the amniotic fluid - she told us if it came back positive that there was a 50% chance we would deliver within 2 weeks. Luckily it came back within an hour (that was a very scary and emotional hour), and was negative. She did give us a bishop score of my cervix as a 3. The scale goes 0-10 - 10 being ready to deliver. I should be a 0. While this doesn't mean a ton - it's something to watch. They told me to keep an eye on things and if I noticed any changes to let them know. 

Fast forward until last week, I started noticing that it seemed like I was now leaking a fluid. My undewear were consistently wet, and I couldn't quite tell if I was just not doing a good job of holding it in or if this was something else. After a couple of days I decided I wasn't peeing myself and called the Midwives. I wasn't too worried, and figured they would have me come back in to do another swab test. Well - no. They said I am far enough along this could indicate preterm labor and sent me to L&D to be checked. I called Mike, and off we went - again. Sigh. 

We were there for about 3 hours and they checked several things. They monitored Emma most the time - and her heart was just fine. They also monitored for contractions (I didn't feel any, but just in case) and there weren't any. She did an examine and the swab test where they look at the fluid under a micro scope. Also a paper test that tells them right away. Both those came back negative - I was NOT leaking amniotic fluid. Which is good - because if I had been she said I would be admitted to the hospital for the following two weeks and induced at 34 weeks. Although she did say she could see something during the exam, so I wasn't just peeing myself either. That made me feel a little better. They also tested for an infection, and a UTI. Both those also came back negative. So she said it is probably just an increase in discharge and that it's nothing to worry about.

So many adventures!! I can only imagine what the next 7-9 weeks hold for us! Ready or not - here we come!