OB appointment 35 weeks and 3 days

I had my OB appointment this morning. I like going once a week. It makes time go so fast. I had my first internal exam. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was thinking it would be like a pap smear. It wasn't like a pap... I barely felt it. They did a strep B culture too. The doctor said I'm almost 1 centimeter and the cervix is softening a little, but not too much. We still have time. My Mom said she was 2 cm the last month of her pregnancy with my sister, Renee.
Doctor said I probably lost some or all of my plug, but unless there is blood there is no need to worry. He told me to make sure I count kicks once a day. Right now I feel Shepherd non-stop all day long, but he said the baby will slow down as he gets bigger and that's when I need to count. Shepherd is the perfect size. I still didn't gain any weight (down 14 pounds pre-pregnancy weight), but my tummy measures 1 cm bigger then last week. Doctor said that is perfect! I have an appointment on Monday for my last ultrasound (this makes #9). I can't wait to have one more look at Shepherd's sweet face before he makes his debut. I guess my weekly appointments will be every Tuesday now.

My Mom bought us a lovely camcorder. We will be filming parts of me in labor and the other stuff going on. We will make sure to edit it before we post it on our blog. I plan on going natural and I have no idea how I will act under that much pain. I may decide to not film when we are in the moment. But I do want to try to film some of it for posterity. =) We'll see how everything comes to pass. I really want to film Shepherd when he is first placed on my tummy after birth and Marvin cutting the cord. I know we have to remain flexible.

Next week at our birthing class we will go over natural childbirth techniques. Can't wait! =)

Video tour of our baby room...

We wanted to make a video of the baby's room for our friends and family to see. We can't wait until Shepherd gets here! =)

34 weeks and 1 Day

Here we are at 34 weeks and 1 day! We only have 41 days left!

Birthing class

We had our first birthing class Monday night. It was very interesting. I had a long list of questions to ask. I didn't ask them all, because I wanted to see if they would be answer through the course of the class. Marvin felt comfortable enough to ask some questions and make comments. It seems like it's becoming more real to him. We only have 44 days left. =) Marvin asked me later if I was scared of the pain of labor. I said, no. I am very curious about how I will handle myself.

Don't laugh at me, but I want to TRY to go natural. I will be more then willing to use an epidural if I can't handle it, but what does it hurt to TRY. The class will go over breathing techniques to help us through contractions. I really want to see and feel what labor is. Ok, now you can laugh at me. =)

We found out that we can take pictures and video of the birth. I'm still cautious about it, especially if I go natural. I can't imagine what kind of faces I will make and the things I'll say. I would really like a video of when Shepherd first comes out and is laid on my chest and when Marvin cuts the cord. That will be a very special memory. I definitely don't want any pictures from the feet up. All pictures and video will be taken from my head level. =)

Next Monday the teacher is going to show us a video of a real birth. I am so excited! Marvin said he is taking it one day at a time. He wanted to be a doctor or nurse when he was younger, so I don't think it'll gross him out too much. We'll see. =)

I guess it's all becoming more real to me too. I have been re-reading books I read in the beginning of my pregnancy about schedules and nursing. I want it all to be fresh in my mind.

I'm feeling really good. When I wake up in the morning I feel relaxed. As the day goes on, little Shepherd stretches me out. I feel achy and like I have no more room left. I'm curious to see how much more my body will stretch. I've slowed down a lot. If I go to the store with Marvin I trail behind him. I can't keep up! =) It's a beautiful part of pregnancy.

My next OB appointment is Dec. 21st. I'll get one more ultrasound the first week of January.

I am so excited! Next month I'll be a Mommy and Marvin will be a Daddy. Wow!

Hiccups!

I just felt Shepherd have the hiccups for the first time. I had to call my Mom right away to make sure it wasn't bad. She said it sounds like hiccups. They stopped after a couple of minutes. My Mom reminded me that I had hiccups all the time when she was pregnant with me. I can't wait to hold Shepherd in my arms! We are getting so close... 50 more days to my due date. Monday we start our birthing classes. I've made a list of questions for the teacher. I'll probably think of more through the weekend. =) Woo Hoo!

32 weeks pregnant... 56 days to go! Oh my goodness!

8 months pregnant! We are so excited to have this baby boy... next month. Can you believe it? I have been getting more and more uncomfortable in pants. My Mom said she spent a lot of her pregnancy in dresses too. I bought a few dresses and I was given a few. When I'm at home I put on a dress. It's kind of fun, because it's so feminine. I look ginormous in this photo, but I guess that's bound to happen as this little guy gets bigger. =) This week my appetite has increased. We start birthing classes at the hospital on December 14th. I can't wait to learn all about pain management and the ins and outs of labor. There is only so much you can learn on TLC. =)

31 weeks and 3 days photos

Here is Shepherd's profile. You can see his cheeks are getting chubby. He was snuggled up to my placenta the whole time too. I guess it makes a nice pillow?

He kept his arm over his face most of the time. You can see his sweet smile. Tech said he has a lot of dark hair (just like Marvin).

Here's another look at his smile. He opened his eyes at one point, but it was only for a second and the tech could not get a picture of it. We'll have to wait until he's out to see his eyes.

Another big grin. He was smiling the whole time and he kept opening his mouth and drinking the fluid. I had breakfast one hour before so he was probably tasting the oatmeal I had eaten.