33 Weeks and counting

Just thought I would write a quick update on baby Ella.  Here is a picture from last week at 32 weeks.  

I now have doctor appointments every two weeks.  My most recent check up was on Thursday.  As usual, my doctor did a quick scan and took measurements to see how Ella was growing.  It appears our little girl has had a growth spurt, and she is finally catching up with her long legs!  Her head and body are now measuring at 35 weeks (2 weeks ahead), and her legs are measuring at 36 weeks.  My scans have always shown that Ella was growing slightly ahead, but normally it was only a few days or so.  The doctor didn't adjust my due date, which I thought was odd.  I know in the US they typically adjust your due date even if you are a few days ahead.  I guess it's because ultimately it doesn't really matter.  Full term is any time between 37-40 weeks, and with only 5% of births actually landing on the exact due date I guess changing the due date doesn't make a huge difference.  That's just my assumption though, who knows.
The thought that I am now 2 weeks further along makes  me realise just how soon our little girl will be here!!!! I have to admit I wouldn't mind if she came a couple weeks early (as long as she was finished cooking), because I am getting SO excited to see her little face.
Brandon and I have been attending our birth/parenting classes for a couple weeks now.  Monday will be our last class.  This probably won't come as a huge surprise to most of my readers, but initially I was stressing out over going to the birth/parenting classes... I hate hospitals and everything involved with hospitals.  I know, not the best phobia to have when you are about to bring a baby into the world.  I have been reading about labour and the whole experience to try to desensitize myself to the situation.  When it came time to start taking the classes I said a little prayer that I would be calm, and tried to remind myself that this was all for Ella.  It definitely helped, because I have felt calm through all of the classes, and have even started looking forward to the process...  Not the screaming intense pain part, but the part where I get to have a beautiful baby girl.  I know all the pain will totally be worth it.  Funny enough I think Brandon is struggling more with the classes than I am.  He seems to get more freaked out with each class we attend.  He just doesn't want to see me in pain and feel helpless.  I know that he will be such a great support system for me though.  I know that  I can get through anything with him by my side.
I am definitely starting to feel like the pregnancy is taking a toll on my body.  Up until a few weeks ago I felt like I could tackle the world, and had hardly any complaints.  Now days the littlest thing, such as going to the grocery store or going shopping feels like it takes all of my energy.  Sleeping is no longer a pleasure due to back pain, leg cramps and heart burn.  Oh and those lovely varicose veins seem to keep popping up.  Last weekend I had to go into the hospital because I was having pain near my belly button and felt a small lump.  I assumed it was a hernia or something, but it turned out to be a harmless limpoma.... which is essentially a fatty growth inside my abdomen.  It is really small, maybe the size of a small grape.  It isn't affecting Ella, and is most likely something I had before I got pregnant, I just didn't notice it until my stomach grew.  They are usually painless, but if pushed up against a nerve can be quite painful.  This past week it has been perfectly fine, so i'm guess the pain before had to due with the way Ella was positioned or something.  Well I don't really want to complain, because every little ache and sleepless night is totally worth it.  In the long run I absolutely love being pregnant, and it is one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced.  I love watching Ella's little foot skate across my belly, and feeling her bounce when she has the hiccups.  I already love her so much, and whatever toll she takes on my body is fine with me because for now this is her home until she comes out.
Well yet again my "quick update" has turned into a lengthy post... but I know the grandparents want all the little details.  So there you go.  :)
  

Michelle's visit to Oz

Last month Michelle got to come to Perth to complete fieldwork at the Multiple Sclerosis society. Lucky for me that meant that I got to have my sis visiting for 2 1/2 weeks. :)

Michelle getting ready to go to her fieldwork

Unfortunately Monday-Friday 8:30-4:30 Michelle had to be at field work and I had to work, but we made the most of the time we had in between. For Michelle's first weekend in Perth we went on a girls trip to Rottnest island. Which is personally one of my favourite places to visit in Western Australia. There are the most beautiful beaches and I knew Michelle would absolutely love it. We got up early Saturday morning and took a short ferry ride over to Rottnest and spent all day Saturday and Sunday exploring the island, soaking up the sun on the beach and relaxing. It was a much needed getaway and I loved getting to spend some quality time with my sis.

Beauty and the whale

We also got to see the Hunger Games together! We have both read the books and were really excited to see the movie. To be honest I wasn't too impressed by the movie, it was entertaining.. but didn't compare to the books. I do find this picture humorous.... Hunger games for the always hungry pregnant lady.

We also hit up San Churros (Michelle's favourite) for some churros and hot chocolate. yum!

On Michelle's last day we went to Caversham wild life park. Michelle's Australian dream was to a.) feed a kangaroo and b.) hold a koala. Well we definitely full filled the first wish and came pretty close to fulfilling the second. Caversham has an area where you can feed kangaroos... There has to be close to a hundred or more kangaroos and they are all out in the open. I have never seen Michelle so excited. It was a great way to end the trip!



Oh and funniest moment of the trip.... I told Michelle to go stand next to the Emu so I could get a picture. Seriously within seconds of me taking this picture the Emu tried to peck Michelle's head. Can you see the fear on her face? haha I have never laughed so hard. So glad we could capture this moment. Any time I'm feeling down I will just pull up this picture for a good laugh.

Michelle got to pet a koala and get a picture with one.... I'd say that's pretty dang close to holding one!

And did I mention we got to pet a giant wombat?!?!. Awesome!

All in all it was an amazing trip and I'm so glad that I got to hang out with my sis. Even though it was a short visit and most of it was spent working, I still cherished every moment spent with her. Even if we were sitting watching a movie, or driving to fieldwork it was great just having her with me. There is no friendship in this world that can compare to the bond shared between sisters. I love her so much and am so grateful to have her as a sister. Thanks for visiting Chell. I miss you!!!

baby update

Wow time is really flying by! I can't believe I am in the third trimester now. I'll be 30 weeks next week, which means only 10 more weeks to go! yay! I can't wait to meet our little munchkin! I went to the doctors last week and our little girl is growing strong. Every time I see my doctor she does a quick scan to measure the babies head, stomach and legs to make sure she is growing properly. Her head and stomach are measuring perfectly for my due date... her legs on the other hand are measuring a week above my due date. Apparently we have a string bean with long skinny legs. haha. Brandon likes to joke that our little girl is going to be a giant red wood. haha. Maybe this is why my belly looks so pointy? Multiple times throughout the day I feel a foot jab the side of my stomach and you can seriously see a little knob poking out of my belly. It's like she is trying stretch, but can't fit her legs anywhere. haha The second trimester felt like a breeze... and I was beginning to wonder if I had gotten lucky with an easy pregnancy. The third trimester hit and suddenly I'm feeling cursed. I have started having constant heartburn and lots of pain in my lower back and pelvis. I guess that's what happens when you have a huge belly. Also worst of all I have developed some varicose veins, which not only look horrible, but are quite painful. I'm told that they go away after birth, so fingers crossed! At the moment I have a hard time standing for more then 15 minutes at a time because my back and pelvis start to really hurt. I feel like an old woman. I recently bought a belly band that helps support my back and belly and it has helped SO much! Seriously it has been a life saver. In the end though all the aches and pains are worth it.

I thought this represented perfectly "Before and after" :)

Well Brandon and I have officially picked out a name for our little girl. We have decided on Ella. We both really liked the name all along and even talked about using the name before I found out I was pregnant. Once we found out we were having a girl we went back and forth on a few names, but Ella seemed to still be our favourite. We started calling her Ella and it seemed to fit. There are a couple neat facts about the name Ella. For one it is a really popular name in Australia. It was in the top ten most popular names in Australia last year. Ella doesn't seem to be as common of a name in the US, which is good because we didn't want an overly common name, but since Ella will be an Aussie baby we thought this was very fitting. Also Brandon served a two year mission for our church in Brazil and Ella (spelt Ela) means "she" in Portuguese. The last neat fact about the name Ella (and more personal fact) is that shortly after I found out I was pregnant, before I even knew I was having a girl, I had a dream of Brandon giving a baby blessing. In our church the father usually gives their baby a blessing it can be a blessing for guidance, comfort, strength etc and at that time the baby is given a name. In my dream Brandon was holding a baby girl, dressed in white and he gave her the name "Ella Reese." :)

We want to frame this one and put it in her room. :)

Last weekend my friends Dannii and Jade threw me a baby shower. It was scheduled early so that Michelle could be there for it. It was such a wonderful day. A mixture of friends from church and uni came to the shower. I had a great time catching up with everyone and got lots of adorable baby stuff.

Dannii and Jade did an amazing job planning the baby shower and decorating... seriously they should both be party planners. Well technically Jade plans parties for dead people since she is a funeral director ;). I seriously was blown away by how amazing it all look and the food was SO yummy. They made a mixture of American and Australian party foods. They even made pink rice krispy treats (an American treat) which I loved! Such thoughtful friends. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Dannii and Jade and my other friends out here. They have been like family to me since moving to Perth. I know we will be well taken care of when our little bub gets here.

Thanks Jade and Dannii!!! Love you!

Michelle was nice enough to help me get glammed up for the special day and even styled my hair. She did such a great job. Thanks chell for making me feel pretty. :)

I love my sister! It meant the world to me that she could be there.

I should have done a big group shot of everyone that came to the shower. This is a picture of me with my friends from Uni.

Opening gifts!

At the end of the shower once everyone had left, Brandon gave me a very special gift to open. He bought a teeny-tiny silver baby bracelet with "Ella" engraved on it. It was such a thoughtful gift. I have such an amazing hubby who is going to make the best dad. Every time Ella looks at it she will know how much her daddy loves her.

Brandon's gift for Ella

Last but not least, here are some pregnancy photos that Michelle took of me. Enjoy! :)