36 Week Update!

Yesterday started off like any normal day. I have not been sleeping very well, so I was tired but making it through the day. When I picked Peyton up at Daycare she was so excited to see me and gave me the biggest hug. This always makes my day, because I miss her so much while I am at work . I hurried home to make sure that I could get dinner started before I left for my doctor's appointment that night at 6:40pm.

Well...that is where the excitement gets started. I was the last patient for my doctor to see last night and we were just all in a very good and relaxed mood talking about how everything has been going and how I was feeling. I had not seen her in a couple weeks and she even made a little joke about where did the time go and that she couldn't believe that I was already 36 weeks along. So while we are talking she is also doing all the normal things...checking the babies heart rate (which was good at 150bpm) and measuring me to make sure I was right on track with 36 weeks. Everything was looking good. Now that I am 36 weeks and 4 weeks from my due date we now start the fun visits. We get to be checked to see if there is anything happening down there. To both of our surprise there was a lot going on. I am already 5+ dilated!!! I think that my head popped up so fast with huge eyes saying WHAT!

Still with a shocked face we started talking about what this means. Normally she would have sent me straight over to the hospital, but since I am only 36 weeks, she let me go home to just relax and put me on a 10 minute contraction count instead of the normal 5 min. rule. Relaxing was very hard to do last night. I had not packed a bag yet, but that quickly changed when I got home. The shock quickly changed to excitement and that quickly changed to craziness making sure that I had everything together. With Brandon's help we made sure that we had everything lined up at the house just in case things change in the next couple of days. Again craziness!

Sleep was hard to come by last night. Normally I have not been sleeping well, so it was no surprise that I was unable to get a good nights rest with my mind racing with excitement mixed with nerves.

I am feeling great today. No contractions...

Please keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you updated if anything happens!

34 Weeks

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

What has been going on with this baby?

Well we are getting closer and closer to D-Day (Delivery Day!) and even though it doesn't feel like it, Brandon and I are starting to get lots of things ready for this baby girl. Last weekend we headed to KC for a wedding and while we were home we picked up several things from my wonderful sister Stacy, who is letting us borrow. It was great last time with Peyton that I was able to borrow so much from her and I gave her several of Peyton things when she had Hadleigh. So the containers are really multiplying and it is great to have some many clothes already for this little one.

We also picked up the baby swing that I let my parents use at their house when Hadleigh came over. It is already put together in the living room and Peyton plays with it every night and lets me know that it is for "Baby Sister!"

Stacy and Jeremy are letting us borrow their beautiful bassinet again and I could not thank them enough. Once we get our bedroom more organized this weekend we will get it set up and that is really going to make things become real seeing it everyday.

I am so excited that Brandon and I are going to be home together this weekend with nothing else planned. It has been so long since we have had a free weekend together, so I am hoping that we can get lots done.

We just might go ahead and pick up the crib and get it set up! Well I should say Brandon will get it set up.

What is your name?

I want to lay on baby sister...

Once we get Peyton all ready for bed we hang out of the couch for a little while together just settling down for the night. The last couple of nights Peyton has come over to me and ask "Lay on Baby Sister?" It is so cute and just makes me such a proud Mommy.

Big Sister Peyton hanging out with her baby sister last night.

Happy Birthday Party! This is the last one...

Last Saturday we had Peyton's kid party here in Manhattan with all her friends. It was a fun day and I think that the kids loved just being able to run around for a couple of hours together. Peyton got all kinds of good gifts and lots of stuff to play with her baby doll. She has really started playing with her "baby" doll a lot lately and it is fun to see how loving she is with her doll. I hope she is like this when her baby sister gets here soon.

I was a little distracted during the party and did not do a very good job of taking many pictures. So here are the three that I took...

Peyton really did have a lot of fun at her party. I should have taken another picture...

All the kids made birthday crowns and bracelets to wear during the party.

Peyton opening up one of her gifts.

I wish that I could have had the video camera out while the kids sang "Happy Birthday" to Peyton because she had the biggest smile on her face and danced along. It was the cutest thing ever!

31 Weeks...

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Peyton with Baby Sister at 31 Weeks

How I am doing and what has been going on...

Well I am feeling great. By the end of the night I can really feel just how tired and worn out my body gets from the entire day. I have this lovely pain on the right side of my back that feels just awesome. Otherwise beside the gall bladder pain that I have had the entire time I have no complaints. I have been thinking back a lot of how my pregnancy was with Peyton and I know that the doctor's say no pregnancies are the same, but I can only think of a few things and they are not that major. The only thing that has me a little nervous is that I never had to deal with the heat with Peyton, so we will see how I handle these next few months.

Planning for Yoder Baby #2

If you have not heard Brandon and I are going to keep the name of this baby girl a secret. We do have a name picked out, but still working on the middle name. I hope that we can get that figured out soon.

I am feeling a little guilty because I have not planned as well as I did with Peyton. I am sure by this time we had most of her nursery already put together. Since the girls are going to share a room and we have most of everything that we need I have been putting it on the back burner, but knowing that the clock is ticking I have been thinking a lot of what this baby girl will need and making a list. That list is getting longer than I was expecting. But no worries because I know that we will get it all together in time.

For starters we are having the carpets cleaned today!

Tulips...Tulips...Tulips

This past fall I planted my first tulips with the help of my wonderful Mother-In-Law Debbie. I have been waiting patiently for Spring to get here so I could see how they turned out. We only planted a couple of bags so I didn't have the tulips run all the way down the retaining wall. I wanted to make sure I liked how they looked before I went crazy and planted a ton of them on this side of the house. Well it was a success and I love them!

Yesterday when we got home Peyton had to go take a look at the "flowers" before taking her stuff into the house. I am now wishing that I planted more so I could cut more down and take into the house. I have always loved tulips and seeing them everyday when I get home makes me very happy and loving Spring Time.