32 Weeks...can I get an AMEN!

10 days have passed since I last posted, and praise the Lord, we are still holding steady! The big news for today…we have reached the beginning of 32 weeks!!! I am so thrilled, and getting this far makes each day laying on my back worth it all! I am so thankful that I can rest knowing that God has already planned Beau’s birthday before he was even conceived!

So, in celebration of 32 weeks, I wanted to make some lists of things I am feeling so I can remember when the pregnancy is over and I look back through this blog. Obviously, as any pregnant girl knows, hormones make one’s emotions go CRAZY, but for my sake I want to have them down, so I will remember!

Things I am loving:

- I love it when Beau kicks (except when he kicks my cervix)….each kick lets me know he is doing all right and assures me that I am doing my job!

- I love watching my tummy get bigger. Each week I grow a little more, which means our little one is growing too!

- I am loving sweet little baby boy clothes! My mom and Chris have both bought a few and I have ordered some online and they are precious! Can’t wait until we have a little baby boy to fill them!

- I love the view from the couch where I spend my days…beautiful big trees make it a little easier to enjoy the day!

- I love fresh summer fruit! I have always been a fruit eater and was afraid I wouldn’t be able to eat it with gestational diabetes. Fortunately, I can and am really enjoying it!

- I love being able to catch up on some good reading! I probably won’t get to read much after the baby gets here, so I am trying to get in as much as possible.

Things I am thankful for (this list could go on forever but I will try to keep it short):

- I am extremely thankful for each day Beau is in my tummy! Each and every day is a victory to me!

- I am thankful for the countless people who have ministered to my family. But today, I am especially thankful for two very special ladies from our church who have sacrificially served my family. First, a sweet lady named Rebecca. She has faithfully (and I mean faithfully!) brought us a meal every single week since I first found out about my incompetent cervix. I have never met someone who has so beautifully demonstrated the love of Christ to us! Thank you so much Rebecca! The other lady who has blown me away is a lady named Missy! She has become our official weekly grocery shopper. Chris appreciates this just as much as I do, since he does not like grocery shopping J Missy has also brought me lunch, sat with me, encouraged me and picked up around our house. She has served us without expecting anything in return and blesses my socks off every time I am around her!

- I am thankful for my family! Both my side of the family and Chris’ side have been absolutely amazing! Not only by calling and praying for us, but helping with the “dirty” work around the house, cooking meals, getting me my meals, helping to decorate our new house, and sooo much more! I have been astounded by the love of our family and am reminded of how wonderful it is to be related to some amazing people!

- I am truly grateful for my husband! He has ministered to me in ways he probably never imagined he would have to. From sitting with me while my hormone crazy body just wants to cry to getting up every morning to cook my breakfast, prepare my snacks, and come home to cook dinner! I have seen our relationship grow and strengthen through this time, and am so thankful I can call Chris my own!

Things I am praying about:

- I am praying for the delivery and labor progression. This is an area I am nervous about due to the fact that it is all unknown. Daily I am working on turning this over to the Lord.

- I am praying about my over-protective mindset. I find myself being extremely over-protective of Beau and he is not even born yet. I know this is part of my desire to love, protect, and nurture our little one, but I pray that once he joins us in the outside world, I will be protective but temper that mindset with trust that God has everything in control.

- I am praying for my stamina. It is difficult to get through each day, but I fear that after the baby is born I will be fairly weak, from weeks of NO activity. I am praying the Lord will help me to get my strength back quickly so that I can be the best mom possible.

- I am praying for my nightly rest. I have not been sleeping well at all due to what I think is restless leg syndrome. I don’t nap during the day, so my body is pretty drained. We are trying several different ideas to help this issue, but so far I haven’t found anything to work really well!

- And lastly, and most importantly, I am praying for Beau’s health. I pray for a strong, healthy baby who is a fighter! I believe God has huge plans for his life, and I can’t wait to see them unfold.

Things I miss:

- I miss going to church. You never realize how vital that aspect of life is until you don’t have it anymore. I look forward to jumping back into the fellowship of the believers when our family grows from two members to three.

- I miss eating out…lol! There is a long list of places I want to go to once the baby is here, so I look forward to going to each of them in the future.

- I miss dessert!!! I love chocolate, and can’t wait until I can indulge! I can have an occasional small dessert with my gestational diabetes, but overall, they are a no, no!

- I miss date nights with my hubby and shopping with friends.

- I miss dressing up, putting makeup on, and getting pedicures. At this point my wardrobe consists of comfy shirts and shorts, and my makeup is packed in the hospital bags. I guess my skin is getting a needed break from a lot of products J

- And currently, I miss walking around! Sometimes, I just wish I could take a stroll around the block J

Overall, the things I miss and the things I worry about pale in comparison to the excitement I feel over meeting our son soon. But I want to be honest, and make sure I get all of my emotions written down, so I can clearly remember this time in our lives. So, if you made it this far, sorry you had to journey through my mind and everything that is swirling around in there! Mostly today, I am rejoicing that we are 32 weeks…God is sooo good! Our next little goal is to make it to next week’s appointment where we will get to see a very clear picture of how my body is doing! Until then…

Calling all Prayer Warriors!

Today, I went in to my doctor for my 30 week appointment...Praise the Lord! I am extremely grateful to have made it this far, but Chris and I are now asking for each of you to join us in prayer as it seems my body is progressing into labor quicker than we or my doctor would like (Note: currently I am not IN labor just headed that direction).

As of today, I am 80% effaced but not dilated at all thanks to the cerclage that has held my cervix closed. Basically, this means my cervix has thinned to around .75 centimeters and is very soft. I asked my doctor to be completely frank with me about the current situation and not to sugar coat anything. Poor guy...he probably knew the water-works could start at any moment (it wouldn't be the first time I have balled in his office).

I am so grateful he was open and honest, as it is really helping to prepare me for what the next few weeks might look like. I won't go into the details here, but I will be on strict, strict, strict bedrest while we let our sweet baby stay in as long as possible. Our biggest goal right now is to make it to 32 weeks. Ideally, making it through August and into September will be best for the baby. So, Chris is working hard to make sure all I have to is stay laying flat and only get up a couple times a day for the bathroom.

Our prayer is that we would first make it to 32 weeks (of course each week further after that would be amazing). Please join us in praying for my progression to slow way down, and for me to be able to do my part in keeping this baby safe and sound. We believe in a BIG God who can do BIG things! We also know that God has a perfect plan and knows exactly what our baby needs. I will try to keep everyone updated, but hopefully not much will go on in the next couple weeks! No news is good news right now :) I won't go back to the doctor for two more weeks, and will stay as stationary as possible until then. Thanks again for each of you who have ministered to us as we have gone through the ups and downs of pregnancy. Your prayers, words of encouragement, meals and sweet notes have truly made the journey much easier!

Dealing with Gestational Diabetes

Good Morning! Whew! I have had quite the week! This week I went to my nutrition class, met with a dietitian, and started my new meal plan. I have learned sooo much and honestly it has been really interesting. I have always been interested in nutrition, so I have enjoyed learning more about combining proteins and carbs in order to help control my blood sugar from spiking.

I catch myself sitting in the pantry reading labels and being shocked at the carbohydrates in some items. For example, when my mom was here last weekend she bought me a bag of sugar-free candy to keep as a stash when I REALLY needed a dessert ;) We both thought this would be a great solution, if my sweet tooth kicked in. Well yesterday, I looked at the package and one piece had 26g of carbs...Yikes! Needless to say, I probably will not be eating these considering one starch that I eat should fall in the 11g-20g range. Crazy huh?

Anyway, the whole diet thing is not near as bad as I imagined. I thought I would have to majorly restrict carbs, which is totally untrue. I am measuring everything out, and making sure I combine the right kinds of foods in each meal. Overall, I have enjoyed thinking of new combination of things to eat.

The hardest part for me, and something you can pray about, is the amount of food I am supposed to eat. I feel like I am constantly eating. Three meals and three snacks a day is A LOT of food, and I am not used to eating that much. I think I am going to talk to my dietitian about decreasing the amount she has asked me to eat, as I have not been "hungry" one time in the last few days and always feel very full. I hope I don't gain 10 pounds this week...hah! I know it probably seems worse to me because I cannot exercise or move around much.

So, all that to say, the diagnosis has not been near as bad as I expected. It's kind of like a game to match everything up and gives me something to do all day :) I am still getting used to pricking my finger but even that isn't too bad. Little Baby Bradford seems to be doing good. I am still praying for no more significant softening of my cervix, so he can cook as long as possible. Hope everyone has a blessed week....I know I am!

29 and counting...

Big Day today...we are at 29 weeks! My last week in the twenties! Mom has been super busy around the house getting things set up and cleaned! I am so grateful to have her here. As each box gets unpacked and put away, this house begins to feel a little bit more like home!

Yesterday, completely out of the blue we received a surprise blessings that left me speechless. Chris received a call from a family that had a three day old tempurpedic mattress that they wanted to give us because it wasn't working for them! We were able to move our old mattress to our guest room to make room for the new one. Now we have a place for guests to sleep...which will mostly be my parents as they come to see their first new grandchild! We are sooo thankful for this sweet family and their generous gift!

On a slightly sad note, I did receive my gestational diabetes results back today. I have been diagnosed with GD. This is not a huge deal physically for me...I will have to follow a specific diet and check my blood sugar four times a day, but honestly it is more of an emotional deal for me. I did not think gestational diabetes would be an issue for me, and now that it is, I am really working to keep my thoughts positive and focused on the Lord. This will also mean a change in my doctor visits. I think I am back to weekly visits, and possibly also a second doctor. That poor hospital knows me by name :)

So, going into next week, please pray that I will confidently embrace this new phase of my pregnancy (including pricking myself four times a day...YIKES! You know me and needles). I will have a four hour appointment/class at the hospital next week where they will teach me everything I need to know. Also, pray for Chris as this will affect him as well. Not only is he working, doing everything around the house, and cooking all of our meals, he will now have to help me with this new diet. He has been such a trooper through it all, but I know that he will be glad when life is "back to normal" (as normal as it will be with a newborn...lol).

So, tonight, I am truly a little disappointed about the diagnosis but so grateful for the blessings. I know that not only does God not give us more than we can handle but also He truly does have a perfect plan. He ordained these steps before I was born and knows exactly how He will use this season in my life!

28 week doctor update!

We are officially moved in! I am sooo excited about being in a house. Chris and I have never had this much space, so it is wonderful. I joked with him the other day that my favorite part of our new house is the fact that it has two toilets (that is a first for us)! My mom comes tonight to help unpack, organize and decorate! I am completely ready for her to get here...she is a "go-getter" and I know a lot will get done. Chris has been able to get a ton done, but there is still soo much to do.

On another note, I had my doctor's appointment Tuesday, and let me tell you, it was a doozy! At my last appointment I failed the 1-hour glucose test, so I had to take the 3-hour glucose test Tuesday. My nurse cracked me up. I usually tell nurses I am really nervous about needles and that I have been known to faint. Well, she was determined to make me get over my fear of needles. She kept saying the last time I had to give blood Chris couldn't come in. I was thinking "No way!", but when the fourth blood draw rolled around I told Chris to stay in the waiting room and faced it like a big girl! I have to say I am a pretty proud of myself! I think I can confidently say that I am not nearly as afraid of giving blood (4 times in 3 hours oughta do it!).

In between my blood draws, I saw my doctor to check on my cervix. Unfortunately, he did say it was softening some. He wasn't too concerned about it, but it did make me a little nervous. I guess because I know if it remains hard, our little baby is safe inside, but once it starts to soften we are starting the progression of my body preparing for labor. Obviously, it could take many weeks to fully soften and dilate, but this was a great reminder of why it is so important that I keep lying down and resting. It is sooo tempting to want to get up and just do little things here and there, but in the long run I have to remember it isn't worth it!

So, if you think about it pray for my gestational diabetes results (I should get them tomorrow or Monday). I would love it if I didn't have GD. Of course, if I do, I know the Lord will prepare the way and help me through one more hurdle. Also pray that my cervix doesn't soften much more or dilate any further for several more weeks. We want to keep Baby Bradford cooking as LONG as possible. My doctor gave me my next "goal" - to make it to 32 to weeks...which I believe is 22 more days. After the 32 week mark our goal will be 36 weeks when my cerclage comes out. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can :) And ultimately, we know the Lord definitely can!