bittersweet.

Here I am, in the last week of pregnancy, and my, it is so bittersweet.

Sweet in that my body is just about at maximum capacity. Sweet in that I will appreciate sleeping comfortably, wearing regular clothes, not aching everywhere and getting myself back in shape. Sweet in that my hair will hopefully not continue to fall out in chunks, my face won't be all crazy different shades and my ankles and feet won't look like baked potatoes.

But bittersweet, still. Bittersweet in that this is most likely my last time being pregnant. That I will no longer feel the sweet flutters in the early weeks or strong kicks as the baby continues to grow. Bittersweet in that I won't be the only one in the world bonded with a sweet baby who hasn't made his appearance into the world yet. Bittersweet in that I won't have the excitement of seeing the lines on a stick and sharing the joy that a new little person will soon be joining our family. And bittersweet in that I won't have my belly to rub, knowing a beautiful blessing is growing inside of me.

It's a crazy feeling, really. All the emotion, the smiles and excitement, the joy, the fears and anxiety. The worrying, the praying, the longing to hold and see that sweet face for the first time. No experience is quite like it. I have emotions I wish I could bottle up and save forever. The anticipation. The love. Even some of the funny glances I get when walking around looking like I am about to pop.

And then the day comes. The day you meet them. And you are so fully, deeply in love. The wait is over. They are here. Another one of God's precious angels has emerged into our world. For a family to love. To cherish. To raise.

And all at once, there it is again. That feeling. The bittersweet cycle continues. Time goes too fast. They grow up too quickly. The days may be long, but the years are short. They change right in front of us with each passing moment. Time is fleeting. Little ones are learning and changing. And we long for one more time to rock them to sleep. To hold them. To sing "Jesus loves me." To make them laugh and hold them close when they cry. To make sure they know they are loved with every shred of our being.

Bittersweet. It's all so bittersweet.

Walk it Out!

Being that I am in the same boat, I had to share this hysterical video of a fellow pregger and her attempt to "walk it out." She is 41 weeks preg and was told by her midwife to walk it out. This is what she opted for instead of a stroll down the street. Hilarious. Down right hilarious. (hit pause at the bottom to turn my music off so you get the full effect of the dancing mama!)

Now off I go to walk it out... Let's see if my moves are as sweet.

The end is in sight...

I went to the doctor today (for my last appointment) and they think everything looks great! They have scheduled to induce me next Wednesday at 5am, pending Saylor doesn't come on her own before then.  


The end is in sight... and I am SO excited! Can't wait to meet the little girl! And here is my last update....

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 39 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 25 pounds

Maternity Clothes: blech. I wear the same 3 outfits constantly.

Best Moment this week: Getting a date for the end, if needed :)

Gender: It's a girl - Saylor Alden Branch

Movement: her moves hurt these days and I feel every single one, ha

Food Craving: comfort food!

What I miss: fitting into my regular clothes and sleeping all night

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights

What I am looking forward to: meeting my little girl

Belly Button: Looks like it's going to stay in.

Stretch Marks: None yet. Yikes.

Symptoms: Nausea is full force. Lots of zofran. Contractions are coming and going, but no real pattern. 

I can't believe we are so close and this is my last update. No more prego pics, bring on the baby pics! They are way more fun, anyways ;)!

November

I cannot believe it is November 1st.... we've been counting down for the past 10 months, and here we are. We are a few days away from Saylor's due date. What an exciting month it is going to be!

Things we are looking forward to at the Branch household:

meeting our baby girl

our wedding anniversary

thanksgiving (and mom's sweet potato pie!)

gearing up for the holidays

We are welcoming November with open arms... Life is good.


"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." 
-Romans 15:13

38 weeks and a PRAISE!

For You created my innermost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." - Psalm 139:13-14

This week has been full of ups and downs, in a major way. I went in for my 38 week appointment on Wednesday and the doctor had decided to do an ultrasound to get an idea of how big Saylor was and then check if I was dilated, etc. Sean and I went in for the ultrasound and everything was moving along nicely... they estimated her to weigh 6 lbs 10 oz. After a few minutes, the nurse began to focus on a certain area for quite a bit of time, thus making me quite nervous. She then got up and said she needed someone else to look and went and got another person. I fell apart as soon as she left the room. I knew this meant they thought something was wrong with her and I had no idea what it was. 


The other nurse came in and took quite a long look. She then explained to Sean and I that they were concerned about her bladder. On the ultrasound it appeared to be very enlarged and not functioning properly... in other words, she wasn't pee peeing.  They were also concerned of very high fluid levels that were surrounding her. They were unsure what the problem was and wanted us to meet with the doctor then go to USC Medical to meet with another doctor. Needless to say, I was a complete mess. Scared to death. So worried. 


We met with my doctor who reviewed the ultrasound pictures and told me, worst case scenario, since I am full term, they would go ahead and deliver this baby and then she would need to be seen by a Pediatric Urologist. Not the news I wanted to hear. Needless to say, Wednesday was a very tough day. 


My appointment at USC was set for the next day (yesterday). My mom came down Wednesday night to be with me, so we headed over to USC and met Sean there to see the doctor. I was a ball of nerves and emotions, but just kept reassuring myself that the Lord is our Great Physician, that He created every inch of this little girl, and he has a perfect plan.


We were seen by the nurse and doctor at USC and as soon as Saylor popped up on the screen, the nurse immediately said she didn't think anything was wrong at all. Oh my gosh. I could breathe again. I was so overcome with emotion. What an answer to pray. What an amazing God. She continued to take a look at her and continued to reassure me that this little girl was perfectly fine. She brought the doctor in to have him check as well and he completely agreed. 

Then I will go to the altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy,

and I will praise you with the lyre,

O God, my God.

—Psalm 43:4

The doctor was incredible. So warm and caring and made us feel wonderful. He pulled out the 4d machine and gave us sweet little pictures of baby girl. They measured her there as well and said she weighed 8lbs! Holy cow! Big difference from the weight we got the day before at my OB. My guess, she's somewhere right in between (mama's hoping, at least!). 

So now, we are relieved. We are thankful we have an amazing God. We are overflowing with praise. We are reminded of the bigger picture. We are overcome with joy. We are thrilled to be in the arms of such a sweet Lord. And we are waiting... excitedly, for little Saylor to join this great big world.

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 24 pounds

Maternity Clothes: blech. I wear the same 3 outfits constantly.

Best Moment this week: Finding out Saylor is just perfect and healthy!

Gender: It's a girl - Saylor Alden Branch

Movement: her moves hurt these days and I feel every single one, ha

Food Craving: comfort food!

What I miss: fitting into my regular clothes and sleeping all night

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights

What I am looking forward to: meeting baby girl SOON!

Belly Button: Looks like it's going to stay in.

Stretch Marks: None yet. Yikes.

Symptoms: Nausea is full force. Lots of zofran. Overall, just feeling huge.

38 weeks:

And a HUGE thank you, with all of my heart, for the village that surrounds us. For sweet friends and family, praying for us, for Saylor. We are beyond blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people. We love you!

Saylor's Nursery

Saylor's Nursery is not quite complete, but should be by the end of next week. We aren't cutting it close, are we? :) The window treatments are in, they just need to be hung. The dresser/changing table should be delivered any day now, the chair and ottoman are at the upholster now and will be done middle of next week, and the comforter and sham should be coming in next week as well. But... since today @ Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life Friday - Nurseries and Children's rooms, I thought I would link up with the few pictures we have of the nursery.


My dad and brother did a fabulous job with the paint and picture molding in the room. The paint is grey and we went with a bright white for the molding and trim. The crib is a pewter canopy crib from Restoration Hardware Baby.

This is the view as you walk into the room:

We hung a chandelier that has pink crystals on the end to give it a very girly feel.

The bedding is a very soft petal pink, white and grey. The crib skirt is a ruffle grey.

To the right of the crib is a vintage white victorian end table. I absolutely love it. After a high and low search, we combined 2 separate lamps to get a crystal base and just the perfect color pink shade. On the table are 2 frames, one of which has Saylor's ultrasound picture in it. 

Hanging on the wall above the table is a very special dress my Nana gave me for Saylor. I wanted it to have a very special place and it looks darling on the wall.

These are the window treatments that we plan to hang next week. We ordered them from RH baby since the color we are using in the nursery is super hard to match.

Here is Saylor's closet... one of my favorite things!

This is what the chair and dresser will look like once they arrive next week:

Right now, we also have the moses basket sitting in her room, which she will be sleeping in for a little while after she is born:

I am still on the hunt for a few little things... a mirror or something to go over the changing table, antique white frames for behind the crib... just some little details :). We have about 2 and a half weeks before her due date, so I have a little time, ha. 

More pictures to come once the nursery is complete. Hope you enjoyed Saylor's pink and grey whimsy room :)!

37 weeks!

This post is a few days late, but I just went to the doctor today, so I wanted to wait to get updated information. And speaking of late, little Saylor appears she just may be late as well. I was checked today and the doctor said she is comfy cozy and is not looking like she is coming anytime soon. Boo. I go back next week and they will be doing an ultrasound to check out how much she weighs and see what we are dealing with (her words, not mine, ha). She said she expected me to be dilated atleast 1cm today... but I am showing no progress at the moment. She did mention that babies often surprise us, so we really never know for sure... but she thinks baby girl is snuggled in happily for the time being. Happy baby = happy mama, I guess.. haha. 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 22 pounds

Maternity Clothes: blech. I wear the same 3 outfits constantly.

Best Moment this week: Getting the nursery close to being done!

Gender: It's a girl - Saylor Alden Branch

Movement: her moves hurt these days and I feel every single one, ha

Food Craving: comfort food!

What I miss: fitting into my regular clothes and sleeping all night

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights

What I am looking forward to: enjoying a date weekend with my husband (probably our last for a very long time!)

Belly Button: In.. but looks like its wanting to pop out.

Stretch Marks: None yet. Yikes.

Symptoms: Nausea is full force. Lots of zofran. Overall, just feeling huge.

36 weeks

I went to the doctor today, and things are looking good. Her heartbeat was at 143. Saylor is still head down and has dropped a good bit. Her dropping has helped me breathe a bit easier and has helped the heart burn as well.  Thank goodness.. I was about to buy Tums in bulk. I haven't dilated any yet, and will be going back next week to be checked again. I tested positive for the Group B test (didn't know what that was until today), so I will be getting penicillin in an IV when I am admitted to the hospital. I can't believe it is so close and I am now seeing the doctor on a weekly basis. Time is really flying by. Can't wait to meet the little girl!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: So much for that losing 4 lbs 2 weeks ago, this time I had gained 5, putting me at a total gain of 21 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: blech. I wear the same 3 outfits constantly.

Best Moment this week: Getting the nursery close to being done!

Gender: It's a girl - Saylor Alden Branch

Movement: feeling her move all the time... seeing my belly pop up in places when she pokes her arm or foot!

Food Craving: comfort food!

What I miss: fitting into my regular clothes and sleeping all night

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights

What I am looking forward to: Meeting Saylor in a few weeks!

Belly Button: In

Stretch Marks: None yet. Yikes.

Symptoms: Nausea is back full steam. I am currently fighting a cold and a fever, which isn't so fun when you're this pregnant.

Diaper Duty

I read today that on average a parent changes 2,788 diapers the first year. Now that, folks, is alot of stinkin' diapers (no pun intended). We are gearing up for diaper duty @ the Branch household... atleast baby bums are so cute!

via

holy belly, batman.

We are in the homestretch... with just a four and a half weeks to go. I cannot believe it. Just crazy. Saylor is growing. And I mean growing. She is now consuming my entire belly, not leaving me much room to sit, sleep or breathe for that matter :). I can't wait to meet this little one!

Saylor's grand finale

Last weekend the Covington's hosted a wonderful Couple's Shower for us back in Greensboro. It was such a blast and we are so thankful they offered to do this for us. Little Saylor, you are quite loved, little girl... :)


The Covington's have been family friends of ours for almost 10 years, and now Candace will be joining our family. She and my brother, Jake, got engaged in August and are counting down the days to their June 2011 wedding. Yay!


Thank you Covington family for an awesome night... a night filled with so much laughter, fun and precious baby girl things!

The Hosts:

The fabulous decor and cake: 

(oh that cake... it was to die for! We even took the top tier home with us and it's in the freezer. We will be taking it to the hospital for Saylor's birthday! Happy momma here! ha)

This stork was made by Jake and Candace, and I absolutely adore it! It will go up in our yard when Saylor is born... :). 

Amazing friends and family that came to celebrate with us:

Precious baby girl things... swoon:

We are so very blessed to call all of these amazing people our friends. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget."

34 weeks

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and Saylor is looking great! She is head down and we are hoping she stays that way. They did some kind of strep test and a few other checks, and everything went well. I even lost 4 pounds since my last visit. Woohoooo! :) It must have been water weight and extra fluid from all the heat, so I am glad to have gotten rid of some of that (for the time being, at least).  I go back in 2 weeks and they will check my cervix to see how much I have dilated, etc and to hopefully get a good idea when baby girl will make her appearance. This is all so SURREAL! Cue happy dance. Cue freak out. Cue excitement. Cue fear. Ha. I can't believe how close we are now. Just last night, Sean was talking about me getting my bag packed and ready for the hospital. Holy cow. This is real! Ha. 

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Lost 4 pounds this week, so I am at 16 pounds total gain

Maternity Clothes: blech. I'm over maternity clothes, ha. Glad for fall so I can atleast wear jeans!

Best Moment this week: Our shower in Greensboro thrown by the Covington's and continuing to get the nursery together.

Gender: It's a girl - Saylor Alden Branch

Movement: feeling her move all the time... seeing my belly pop up in places when she pokes her arm or foot!

Food Craving: apple pie ALWAYS sounds good these days, but I try to resist.

What I miss: fitting into my regular clothes and sleeping all night

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights

What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery completed!

Belly Button: In

Stretch Marks: None yet. Yikes.

Symptoms: Nausea still hanging around. Being so big.... is that a symptom? ha.