Taken Sunday, Oct 5 at the State Fair:

Ignore the not-so-pretty face…the sun was in my eyes.

If you look closely, you can see my belly (and Jerry’s reaction to it).  Gabe took this with his camera phone, so it isn’t the best quality, but it is a funny picture & you can definitely tell why everyone is predicting that I’ll have this baby EARLY!

So…34 weeks…the countdown begins!
I am getting excited.  The nursery is painted.  We are going to Home Depot tonight to reserve the sander for tomorrow or Sunday when Jeff will sand the floor (Tomorrow I will have plenty to keep me busy organizing the office and on Sunday I already have plans to be away from the house all day).  Then, sometime during the week or next weekend, he’ll poly the floor.  Then, on the 17th, Mo & I will officially decorate.  Of course, I still don’t have the changing table from my dad-in-law or the dresser/bookcase combo from the garage (that needs to be sanded and repainted)…but I’ll have the crib and everything we are putting on the walls.

I have felt very run down this week and actually worked from home Wednesday & Thursday.  Yesterday I actually was sick.  I probably pushed myself too hard by working from home Wednesday, but going to the fair Wednesday night (hence the above photo).  I just figured that if I saved my energy throughout the day, I’d feel better that night.  I’d been having trouble with my asthma all day (why I stayed home in the first place), but felt okay by the time we left for the fair.  It was just probably too much.  But it was also the only night we could go with Gabe, Jerry & Kristen.  Best part – I got my fried twinkie.  With another visit tomorrow & yet another on Sunday, I’ll get my fried oreos and my fried candy bar.  Yummy!!!  Ella is liking that!  Good think I don’t have gestational diabetes.  I’d be in tears!

Ella is getting to be a big girl & is running out of room in my tummy.  There are times when she moves that it actually hurts.  I may have mentioned this before, but with each passing week it gets worse.  Still, I am not complaining – I have had an EASY pregnancy!  She still doesn’t keep me (or wake me) up at night so I’m hoping that is a good omen of what is to come.  Perhaps she’ll be a great baby who starts sleeping through the night early.  I go back to the doctor on Tuesday.  Pretty soon I’ll be going every week.  Dr. Powers did say that if she felt that Ella was too big for me to push through OR if Ella is not in the correct head-down position, I will get a c-section.  I am very comfortable with that decision.  The last thing I want is to put Ella under undue stress because she gets stuck.

Funny – I have not yet had complete strangers come up and touch my belly.  Not at all.  I thank all the pregnant ladies before me who have made this clear that it is NOT okay if you do not know the pregnant mom.  Instead, strangers who I pass feel it completely okay to give me medical advice or predict what I am having (or when I will go into labor).  Most often the conversation goes, “Oh congratulations!  When are you due?”  To which I reply with the number of weeks left.  Then the stranger says, “Oh, dear, I do not think you’re going to make it that long.”  Thank you…
The best so far was two guys at the Fair Wednesday night.  We were walking through the expo building where lots of people/companies come to sell their crap – jewelry, pins, hot tubs, pet stuff, candy, your horoscope…you know what I’m talking about.  Jeff and I were looking at one vendor’s goodies when these two guys in another booth (like 15-20 feet away) start talking to each other about me.  We never could here guy #2’s responses, but here is Guy #1’s side of the conversation:
Guy #1: Yo – that girl is having twins!  Look at her!
pause a moment
Guy #1: Seriously – and at least one is a boy…look at how her stomach sticks way out…he’s just standing up!
pause
Guy #1: Man, for real, look at her…she is definitely having twins…like any day now!

Thanks, buddy.  Good thing I’m not a really self-conscious person.  If so, I would have been freaking out.

Oh well…that is my update for now.  I’m sure we’ll take another picture this weekend at the fair during the day with a regular camera.  I’ll post that one when we do.  Have a great weekend and MAY ALL YOUR DAYS BE FAIR DAYS!!!

OH! That reminds me!  Ella gets to go to the circus with me this year!!!!!

So I am at the end of my 33rd week today.  (Skip down if you want the doctor update before the house update)  That means there are only seven weeks left until my due date.  Sorry that I haven’t updated recently.  Last week we were so busy getting ready for the weekend and the big office move.  Jay & Melissa were wonderful and came over Saturday morning to (Mo) help me pack the office and (Jay) help Jeff install a ceiling fan in the den & then move all of the office furniture down there.  We got 90% of it done.  Jeff’s desk & some of his music stuff still remain in the soon-to-be nursery.  Once we got the bookshelves down in the den we discovered that I took our measurements for furniture placement before we drywalled meaning that one of our bookshelves needs to go where our baseboard heater ends.  So now, before we can put everything back onto the book shelves, Jeff gets to play with the wiring & move one of baseboard heaters a foot down the wall.

After that, we’ll actually start working on the nursery.  All we have to do in there is paint the ceiling, paint the walls, sand the floor, & poly the floor.  AND Jeff is customizing Ella’s closet (not nearly as cool as mine) with shelves at the bottom that will be used for storage and changing it from one bar for clothes to two!  We got some cool storage stuff at IKEA including some white tubs on wheels that will go in the bottom of the closet for toys and such.  Then, the closet will be getting new bi-fold doors (so pretty!).

After all of that, we’ll actually put furniture in the room.  Our crib came in at Babies R Us last night (we got the Carter’s Casual: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3012851 after losing access to the original crib I wanted by Jardine: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2440137)  Then I found out that Jardine was originally under another name, but they had so much bad press over their baby stuff getting recalled that they had to CHANGE THEIR NAME!  Unreal!  I’m a little glad that we ended up getting a crib from a highly reputable and well-known company.  My Jardine crib itself did not get recalled, but three others did, so they’ve made them all “temporarily unavailable” and are not setting a date to rerelease any of them.

My dad-in-law is fixing up an old changing table that will be painted white.  I need to be sure he starts on that as soon as he’s feeling better (work injury) so that I have a changing table when she comes!  And we have an old piece of furniture that was Jeff Crenshaw’s, John Crenshaw’s, and then Warren’s that we are going to sand and repaint white.  It is going to be an excellent piece of furniture for Ella’s room with a bookshelf on top, three lower shelves, and three big drawers.

I also am in the hunt for an old fashioned rocker.  Mom and I spent three hours hitting goodwills, consignment shops, and furniture stores looking for one on the cheap.  We found two at the Unfinished Furniture Store, but they were each over $100 and I’m just too cheap for that.  She is going to mention to my grandmother that I drug her all over town looking and see if Granny offers to let me borrow one of hers.  Now that would be nice.

I’m feeling great, though since Ella is getting better and I’m no longer making amniotic fluid, space & cushioning inside are at a premium and almost nonexistent.  Everytime she gets to really trucking around in there now it HURTS (not really painful, but sometimes really uncomfortable).  I think I freaked out a ton of people driving down Jackson St (where I work) one morning this week.  I was walking the block & a half to my building from my parking deck when she really got to beating my internal organs to a pulp.  I stopped walking a second and put my hands on my stomach (which ususally calms her down a little).  I didn’t think about what that looked like to passerbys until a car slammed on brakes looking at me.  Oops!  They must have thought I was going into labor.  I quickly waved and continued walking to my building, laughing to myself.  Too funny!  She does love to move her feet over the ridge right at my cervix – this HURTS – I mean it is actually a little painful.  I think it feels like a foot rub to her and she just doesn’t realize that she’s causing me to make funny faces in meetings.

I went to the doctor on Tuesday.  Ella is progressing well and I am gaining exactly the weight that she wants me to gain.  Of course, I hate getting on the scales because I do not enjoy the numbers that pop up.  I’ll just say that I’m edging closer to matching my hubby’s weight (very close to tying him).  We did talk about the possibility of a c-section.  Everytime I’m in, Ella is head up.  She still has time to turn before she runs out of space to do so, so there hasn’t been a determination yet.  If she’s breach, I’m guaranteed a c-section.  They can actually make that decision when I come in in labor, too – I just won’t go through the pushing phase.  I did share with my doctor the fact that I’d like to avoid an emergency c-section and that is she has any reason to believe that Ella will get stuck trying to have her normally, to just schedule the c-section to we’re all relaxed and no one is in a panic mode.

I also joked about having a Halloween baby (which we’d love).  Seeing as that is two WEEKS before my due date, I was pretty sure she’d say no way.  Instead, she said not to count it out.  If Ella is getting too big, my body will just kick her out.  Since she was in the 75th percentile a month ago, it is very possible I’ll deliver early.  Of course, it really is all a guessing game.  I just wanted to be clear that I’m not opposed to a c-section if that is what my doctor feels is my best option.  I’m also not trying to steal Paige Coppedge’s thunder (she’s a Halloween baby); seeing as they are 4 years apart, I don’t think they’ll be competing for attenders of parties.  Well…maybe Charlotte Rich, but that would be the only one I think.

As for the happenings in my body…Ella has fingernails, no furry covering anymore, and her skin is no longer clear.  She’s getting fatter by the day (hopefully not too big, though) which is where a lot of my weight gain will be coming from.  We are in the “safe” zone so far as early delivery.  If she comes any time now, she has an excellent chance of survival.  For those who like the update, she is the size of a pineapple or large medicine ball (the heavy kind).  I really do look like I have a basketball shoved up my shirt now.  Actually, I’m a little bigger than a basketball.  I will take a 33 week picture, but won’t get it posted until I hook my computer back up.

So, right now on Sept 15, 2008 at 10:50 a.m., Ella is moving around in my uterus like she is trying to get out!  It is a little uncomfortable right now.  Not only is she making we need to pee (again), but she is making everything else in my body shift.  It is crazy!

Well…I started this 30 minutes ago, but I am at work so I have to post a couple sentences at a time.  She’s settled down (after a potty break – my bladder must have been crowding her) and should be dozing off.  Nothing interesting on Baby Center this week.  Info about Braxton-Hicks Contractions (none yet) and how to get sleep when baby is moving at night.  I’ve been really lucky in that she moves when I lay down to go to sleep and she moves when I wake up, but I’ve never been woken up or kept awake by her.  I’m hoping that means that she sleeps through the night with me.
The only time she moves during the night is if I change positions (like moving from my left side to my right side), but since I’m turning her over, too, I figure she’s just readjusting to get comfortable.  All in all, this pregnancy thing has been no big deal.  Even the things I complain about most just aren’t that bad.
Oh – comparison time.  According to BabyCenter, as of Thursday, Ella is the size of a soccer ball.  Just look at this photo, taken Friday morning:

Speaking of complaining about things – I am always hot!  Yesterday, I sweat through a t-shirt within 10 minutes of putting it on.  It was awful and I wanted to cry.  I mean, I had on deoderant and still sweat so that my shirt was wet.  I was at home, in front of a fan, getting ready to leave.  I am thankful that I am not in my last month during this month because I think I’d never move.  I’d lay in bed where the window unit is right there at me.  My dear mother (Warren was born Aug 5) and mother-in-law (Jerry was born Aug 25) and all other women who have babies in August and September – you are strong women and I admire you.  Your children should shower you with expensive gifts every Mother’s Day.

Now, for a totally cool photo that I’m hoping Jeff and I may be able to duplicate in the next 8 weeks:

Yes, folks, I said EIGHT WEEKS!  I’m due in less than two months = less than 9 weeks.  I find out in a few weeks if a c-section will be recommended.  Afterall, they are thinking she is going to be big.  Now, before some of you jump down my throat about c-sections not being good.  I understand and completely comprehend that vaginal birth is the #1 way to have a baby.  I am also a realist that knows that I’m pretty small in all areas of my body and I’d rather schedule a c-section than try to deliver normally and have the baby get stuck – which totally stresses out the baby and has led to sprained and BROKEN pelvises – and end up in an EMERGENCY c-section that is far more dangerous than a scheduled.  So, if my well trained, medical doctor of an OB/GYN says “c-section”, then that is the route I will take.  So please do not lecture me; I know pretty much all you’re going to say…and that is all I’m going to say about that.

And now it is almost 1:00 and I’m finally hitting “post”.  Thanks for checking out Ella’s Blog!

 Go to http://evielou.myphotoalbum.com.  (there is a box with a link on the left of this blog)

Open “Family & Friends”

Open the Baby Album and you’ll find them.
 

Okay, so the weekend was insanely busy and the week hasn’t been much better.  All my free time at home has been tied up in writing “Thank You” cards.  I had about 75 to do when I started and I’m down to less than 50 to go.  I also took time to unload all my gift bags from Sunday so that I could get a feel for everything we’d gotten.  And, Jeff was hanging with the boys on Sunday so he didn’t get to see all of our goodies!  We seriously got the cutest stuff ever!!!  Thank you to Charlotte Rich for Ella’s VT Cheering Uniform.
Oh yes, for those not in church @ UCC on Sunday or not at the shower, we have officially released our baby’s name: Ella Louise Cronin.

So, beach pictures and shower pictures will go on MyPhotoAlbum tonight if all goes as planned.  They will include pics of me from Sunday which will count as my 30 week belly shots.  I’ll add one of those to this site for quick viewing.

To hold you over…here are two pictures of all the stuff we’ve gotten so far (minus two handmade blankets that I left in the office where they are being stored).  I took them with my cell to send to mom, so they aren’t great quality.  Not in the picture is a stack of clothes that are 24 months.  The pink bag on top of some of the blankets is full of clothes size 18 months.  There just wasn’t enough room.
In photo 1, the clothes stacked on top of the (still packed up) pack-n-play are size Newborn.  The clothes on the bed (in both photos) are arranged in stacks by size: 0-3 months, 3 months, 3-6 months, 6 months, 6-9 months, 9 months (second row, second photo), and 12 months (3rd row, 2nd picture).
Against the wall in photo 1 is the papason chair the Amos’ gave us from Alastair and hanging on it is the Jonny Jump-Up from Alastair.
No longer visible under the stuff on the bed against the wall is our changing table pad – but it is there.

Photo 1:

Photo 2:

Thank you cards are being sent out daily!

First – an apology.  I realize that I have not done a belly shot in a couple of weeks.  I’m sorry – it has just been so busy.  I meant to get a 29 week shot at the beach last weekend, but I think the only picture we took with me in it, I’m looking at the camera between mom & dad.  I promise to have a 30 week shot taken.

This week has been crazy.  We got back from the beach on Monday, around 1:00, and I started laundry.  Jeff was supposed to be going out with his brothers, but that changed to a family cookout instead.  So while I switched load 1 to the dryer and started load 2 in the washer, Jeff ran to get Gelati Celesti ice cream and ice for the cookout.  We got to his parents around 3:30-ish, I think.  By 6:30, I was nearly dozing off in conversation.  Yes, my friends, the total exhaustion has returned.  I want to take a nap by 9:00 in the morning.  Needless to say, I’m really ready to crash right now.  I will be heading home from work soon to nap and do some housework before having to speak to a class at 5:30 this evening (at the Parham Road Campus, thankfully).

My indigestion is still as bad as it was.  I hate eating sometimes because I just feel crappy afterwards.

On a high note – my shower is this weekend!  Warren & Rachel will be in town for a wedding (hence why this weekend was selected for the shower) so they will get to see me live in belly for the first time.  I think Warren is more excited than any male I know.  Jeff lives with my growing belly and daddy sees it at least once a week, so it is not a big deal to them.  Melissa has put a lot into planning and I’m excited to see my Cinderella stuff out and on display.
Another high note – my boss finally figured out that I’m leaving for good when the baby comes.  That means putting my position up and setting a final date.  Oct 30 marks the end of a pay period, so that may end up being my last day.  That wouldn’t be too bad since (if the baby is on time) it would give me a couple weeks to be sure the house is ready.  I start training another of the part-timers here next week in case something happens and I have to go out before there is a replacement me.  I will also have one or two work-study students starting in a week or two.  That means, I’ll be training them to do what I do also.  My goal is to have this office able to run without me before September ends.  On Oct 2 I will be 34 weeks and after that, she really could come anytime.  Remember, I’ve known two people just this summer to have their babies at 35 weeks.

So that is all for now…I think…I will post a picture tomorrow or Friday of me at 30 weeks and I’ll update on Sunday or Monday concerning the shower.  I’m really, really excited about it!!

Here’s the usual Baby Center Info & pictures:

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby’s about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds [last Tuesday they estimated her to already be 3 lbs, 3 oz] (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it’s not very keen; even after she’s born, she’ll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she’ll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

Bean Close up:
There is a right leg (with foot just out of the picture), her right eye, her nose and mouth, AND right to the side of her head (a little above her eye) is her right hand.  She was laying with both hands behind her head and her knees bent and pulled up to her chest.  By her measurements, she is already  weighing in at 3 lbs, 3 oz.

Bean Face:
The bright white at the top of her head is HAIR!!!!  She has a full head of hair already!

Bean Leg:

Bean Right Foot:

So, Thursday night it occured to me that in less than 12 weeks (if she’s on-time or early) I AM GOING TO BE A MOTHER!  Talk about a total freak out!  I totally panicked!  Let me tell you, I’ve had a great pregnancy with little to no complaints, but I am HATING the leg cramps.  Every couple of days, I wake up sometime between 4:30 – 5:00 with shooting pains in my calves (charley horses) that require rubbing or walking.  This is so painful!  And NO FUN!

Other than the occasional freak out, charley horses, acid reflux, indigestion, and exhaustion – pregnancy is no big deal and I’d gladly do it again.  Outside of the occasional freak out, I’m getting really excited about our little girl’s arrival (though I still think I’d handle a boy better – God better be ready to give me some support!).  I have to resist the urge to check our baby registries just because I’m so excited about getting things together for her.

Last night, Jeff and I went out to dinner with the Amos clan and then back to their house to inherit baby stuff.  We got a bag full of clothes (lots of blue, but all adorable – she’ll be cute in all of it), a pack-n-play (hence why one is not on the registry), a papasan (like a chair thing), and a doorway bouncer (totally cool – can’t wait until she’s big enough for that!).  

At Jerry & Kristen’s on Saturday we received a huge bag of handmade crocheted booties, hats, sweaters (matching sets) and a couple of blankets all made by Kristen’s mom.  They are all beautiful and we will have the warmest baby ever.

No photo from last week, but I will get one this week – as well as new ultrasound pictures tomorrow that at least one will be posted.  I can’t wait to see what she looks like just because all of the baby-book and website pictures make her look so whole and complete (see below).  As for the info from Baby Center below – I’m adding tidbits of information within it that are personalized.  They are in PINK: 

How your baby’s growing:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Cool little piece of info: I was standing outside yesterday with a bottle of water while talking on the phone.  I put the very cold bottle of water on my sticking out tummy and baby girl went running away from it to the back of my uterus.  How cool was that?  I haven’t tried the flashlight trick yet, but hear that they do the same when you shine a flashlight on my belly. 

How your life’s changing:

You’re in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you’re like most women, you’ll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.  WHAT THE HECK?  11 MORE POUNDS!  NO WAY!  Can’t I just go back to when I wasn’t gaining any weight?

At this point, you’ll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you’ll switch to weekly visits. Also, if your glucose screening test (having that done TOMORROW) result was high and you haven’t yet had follow-up testing, you’ll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test.

Here are my weekly Baby Center Photos:

So, here is what Baby Center says about what is going now that I’m at 27 weeks:

How your baby’s growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

How I feel about this:

So far, I feel great!  As my previous post indicated, I’m having sinus issues, but they are mostly under control.  I have that low growly kind-of voice that some consider to be sexy, so we’ll consider that a perk.  Two more nights singing at VBS and I’ll be lucky to have a voice on Sunday morning to lead worship with!

I have a confession to make – I fell on Tuesday morning – like at 6:00 a.m. – in the dark.  I went to go feed the kitties and tripped in the kitchen.  My right knee hit hard enough that Jeff was scared the refrigerator fell over.  My left arm went over my tummy and my right hand kept me from hitting the ground.  Needless to say, my right knee has a pretty bruise on it.  I did gently bump my bump on the floor, but only after I’d stopped on my knee on the way down.  I was very nervous, but after talking to my doctor’s nurse, I felt assured that the bump my bump had wasn’t bad and since there was no pain and there was baby movement, I relaxed and stopped freaking out.

According to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the baby is actually over 2 lbs this week, but no one is ever sure how big the baby is (or will be) until they make their appearance.  Two people I know had babies at 35 weeks this summer, one baby was well over 7 lbs and got to go home immediately, the other was around 5 lbs and spent time in the hospital.  There just isn’t an exact science to baby prediction.  Also, my other “size” resource (American Baby) says the baby is about the size of a sock monkey!

The baby is moving at random times throughout the day and likes to use my bladder as a soccer ball.  It is great fun.  Monday night at VBS was the first time she moved while I was at church.  She hasn’t even made her debut and she’s already enjoying making her mom look like a liar.  I’m standing there talking to Karen Fletcher and the Foshays and telling them that she never kicks high enough for anyone to feel her (she usually kicks way down low where it is inappropriate for others to touch).  As I finish the sentence, she kicks me right at my belly button.  Hubby Jeff took the first feel and then Josh got to feel her kick.  It was pretty cool.  Charlotte has yet to get to, but I’m hoping between VBS tonight and tomorrow, she will.

Currently, my tummy (at the belly button) is measuring 39 inches around.  I go back to the doctor on Tuesday, August 26 for my Glucose screening and another ultrasound (they are watching where my placenta is located).

Here are the two normal pictures I post regarding the baby:

On a side note – scoot over to Amanda Amos’s BLOG for an update on her cancer.  She is in real need of prayerful uplifting!!