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 Week 27 (Ravenna is as long as a hothouse English cucumber!)

Week 29 (Ravenna weighs the same amount as a butternut squash)

We have had a very hectic last couple of weeks! We are fully moved into our new home, with all of our new furniture assembled (still waiting on two chairs though). However, we definitely still have quite a bit of tidying up and cleaning to do to make it perfect. Although, I've had the last couple of days free, I've been dedicated to taking a moment to relax and not worry about chores! I plan on finishing up the home and making it picture perfect in the coming weeks and promise to post pics in one of my up-coming blogs!

I had my last day of class on Thursday! It feels wonderful to have finished my first year of teaching and boy, I must say it was one adventure! Finally things feel like they are calming down and it is such a relief. We had our first weekend this past weekend where we had no responsibilities or commitments! It felt so good to just be able to focus on our home and each other, without having to run all over the place. We lounged around watching a couple of movies and even played a board game! Don also cooked me multiple delicious meals! Don has recently taken to the kitchen. I've been calling him Donny Flay. He has been very dedicated to trying new recipes in preparation for Ravenna. I try to remind him that she won't be able to eat this food when she pops out, but I must admit, I don't mind all of the delicious food that I am getting to enjoy in the meantime!

We had our first baby class on Friday of last week. It was a very positive experience and we learned a lot. It was a great opportunity for us to start thinking about the labor process and preparing ourselves for this adventure that we're about to embark on! In addition to learning more about what to expect in labor, we got to watch a V-back (vaginal birth after a previous c-section) natural birth . Both Donald and I must be the lamest people ever because we both started crying while watching! Although we had both seen live birth videos before, it was definitely a different experience knowing that this would be us in just a few short months. Watching this video also made me feel like natural birth was something that I could realistically do. Yes, it looked incredibly painful, but it looked manageable with the support of loved ones. This doesn't mean that I am closing the door completely to medication during labor, but I think that I am going to go into the hospital with the mindset that I can do a natural birth and use medication as a last resort dependent on my specific labor. Another thing that I really liked about the class was how much they emphasized the important role of the father during the labor process. Don learned massage techniques to use during labor to help me cope with the pain and yes, I plan on making him use his newly acquired skills throughout the entire labor! We were also given a tour of the birthing center. The birthing room was spacious and the after birth room was nice as well. I have been very impressed by Overlake so far, and really look forward to giving birth at this hospital.

In other not-so-pleasant news, I did not pass my 1 hour glucose test. Basically how this initial test works is that I fast for two hours and then drink a 50g glucose beverage. An hour later they draw my blood and test it for my glucose levels. The nurse said that my levels were at 147 and that the cut-off level was 130. As a result, I had to go in for the 3 hour glucose test. I took this test yesterday. I had to fast overnight and then go in in the morning on an empty stomach. They immediately drew my blood and then I had to down a 100g glucose beverage in 5 minutes. It was disgusting and made me feel very nauseous. After I drank the beverage, I got my blood drawn every hour on the hour for the next 3 hours. I couldn't leave the facilities and could only drink a very small amount of water. You can imagine how starving I was by the time I left! Each of the four blood draws has a specific glucose level that I should be under. If I fail two or more of the four blood draws, then I have gestational diabetes which affects about 4-7% of all pregnant women. Joy! I am now nervously awaiting my results, which I suspect that I will hear by Friday. I feel upset, discouraged, and like I did something wrong, however everyone reassures me that I didn't and that it is just something that happens. We shall see. I'll keep you all posted.

27+2

Hello everyone! It has been quite some time since I have blogged and for that, I am sorry. We have had a crazy last couple of weeks. Donald and I got sick over two weeks ago and I am still not feeling back to normal. I caught what I think was a cold from Don, which developed into a sinus infection. Supposedly, it is common for pregnant women to get sinus infections because they are already struggling with congestion. Fortunately, I had a four day weekend so I was able to rest and somewhat recover. However, I was definitely sad to sacrifice my entire long weekend to this sucker! Not only had my nose transformed into a snot factory, it felt like someone had literally punched me in the face! I felt an incredibly intense pressure around my eyes and nose and my entire jaw ached. To accompany all of this joy, I also had a wonderful headache. On that Friday, I slept almost the entire day on-and-off, just because it felt better than being awake. The worst part about it is that I could barely take any medication! I did succumb two nights to Sudafed, but I limited myself to one Sudafed a night. I can also only take 6 Tylenol in one day, which blows as well. There are days when I love pregnancy and revel in all of its splendors... though these were not some of those days. To try to help me sleep (it was challenging with all the pain and not being able to breath), we got a humidifier. I think it actually did help me sleep better. I am still sleeping with it on. I also used a neti pot for the first time. To use a neti pot, you basically pour this warm saline mixture into one nostril and all of the nastiness comes out of the other nostril! It is gross but in some way gratifying! And it helps you breath clear for all of 5 minutes which sadly, is worth it! Come Tuesday, I still didn't feel up to teaching, so I actually extended my weekend to a five day weekend! Luckily, I am feeling much much better now. However, I still look forward to feeling a 100% again and hope that comes soon.

In addition to fighting our illnesses, we have been packing up our entire house! I even packed up our SD card reader, so unfortunately I can't post this week's pregnancy picture. You all will have to wait in suspense until it is unpacked on the other side! We got the keys to our new place on the 1st (last Saturday) and have been slowly moving into our new home. We have been moving over boxes (nearly all of them are over to the new place now), but the big ticket items (our furniture) won't be moved until this Saturday. We also painted Ravenna's room, and by we, I mean Donald and my Mom. I was exiled from the painting room. My painters did an exceptional job though! It is a beautiful, bright and cheerful mint green (Pantone Bay). I am in love with the color and could not be more excited to finally get to start setting up the nursery! We have purchased a crib with a crib mattress and plan on getting a modular bookcase, a glider and a changing table as well. We've decided we didn't want to cramp the room space with a dresser and have opted for a closet organizer instead. I figured that her clothes are so small that we can easily fit all that we need to into her closet. It is so awesome to finally feel like we can prepare for Venna's arrival! We can't wait to be fully moved into our new home and for all of the joys it will bring us.

Other than this big news, I am struggling more frequently with heartburn. I get heartburn after lunch everyday around 5th period. It feels like lava right behind my sternum and makes it incredibly uncomfortable to teach. I am sooooo looking forward to summer starting and getting to actually deal with heartburn when it strikes and taking naps when I am exhausted, instead of always having to power through! ONLY TEN MORE DAYS!!!!!