The First Trimester...round 2

I am well out of the first trimester, but am I going to try oh so hard to be as consistent with this baby and pregnancy as I was with Cole!!

Things seem to be going the exact same as they did with my first pregnancy.  I was nauseous mostly during weeks 6-8, exhausted early in the pregnancy, no super weird cravings...well maybe french fries. But that's not weird.  I think I just say "YES" a little easier than in a non-pregnant circumstance.

It's stinkin' hot here, but still trying to walk or do workout videos. Shawn T's T25 is my current favorite.  I also consider painting a workout, which I seem to be doing way more than I should around here...

Cole is super sweet saying, "Mommy, Daddy, Cole, Baby" all the time, even in his crib before he falls asleep. He seems overly confident that the baby is a "BOY!!!!" He loves to pat my belly and give it kisses, and he has finally stopped touching other peoples' bellies and saying "baby!" ... haha!!

8 weeks and 12 weeks!

7 and 9 weeks pregnant

11 and 13 weeks pregnant

TOMORROW WE FIND OUT THE GENDER!!! EEEEEKK!!!! So excited! 

How We Met Cole Henry

WELL...How do you even begin something like this?!?! I wouldn't call this a "birth story" ...all those nasty details can remain off of the internet.  But I do love how Cole entered the world, and do not want to forget that crazy adventure. So here goes!

Week 39 of my pregnancy was intense.  I thought my water broke one day.  Then I thought I was in labor every day after that with rather consistent Braxton Hicks contractions for several days in a row. Ha! Now that I know what real labor pains feel like, I don't think I can mistake labor ever again.

On Thursday, August 16, I woke up to some REAL contractions around 1 am.  They woke me up about every 30-45 minutes after that.  I had my OB appointment that morning, so I of course hoped to be uber dilated and ready to be admitted into the hospital.  I was a whopping 1.5 cm, and we scheduled an induction for the week after, on August 23.  As any 9 month pregnant woman would do, I cried when I left the office.

Being quite the rebel, and really needing a distraction, I drove to San Marcos to meet my amazing friend Morgan for some Chick fil A and shopping.  I was still having contractions, and had no business driving on I-35, but at that point, I didn't really care.  Anything to keep my mind off labor! We had a great time.  It was stinkin' hot outside, and I had to stop walking several times to wait for contractions to pass.

I got home around 4 pm, contractions were now about 15 minutes apart.  I tried the whole bathtub thing to relieve the pain, but I get grossed out sitting in a tub for more than 10 minutes.  So maybe I had one contraction in the tub. HAHA! At least I tried.

At 8:30 pm, I had my  Fantasy Football draft.  Contractions were now about 5-8 minutes apart, but I was super excited about the draft. And though I was on the floor in pain for most of it, my team is going to dominate this year. We went to the hospital immediately after the draft ended.

At about 10:30 pm, I was checked by a nurse at the hospital, and was 3.5 cm!!!!!! We were IN LABOR! Those were such fantastic words to hear.  Tom and I were pumped.  At 2 am, I was 6 cm, in plenty of pain, mostly in my lower back during contractions.  I requested my epidural and had immediate relief.  So thankful for that invention! At 4 am, I was 8 cm, then at 6 am, 9 cm.  At that point, we were going to have my water broken, and I thought pushing was right around the corner.  Which was awesome, because I was SO HUNGRY! Who knew that I still had 9 hours of labor to go....I think next time I will be a rebel and eat behind my doctor's back.

Then the story gets a little sticky.  The shift change with the hospital staff happened at 7 am.  The doctor didn't come in to break my water until maybe 9 am.  This whole time, I was thinking that I would have the baby any minute!!! Water finally is broken, and then we are told to wait and see if the baby will drop lower on his own.  A few hours later, a new nurse checks me and says I am 6 cm.  WHAT??!!?!?!?! She gave this long explanation about how some nurses are more lenient than others with dilation... It was so confusing, but we just went with it.  She started us on Pitocin and by 3 pm I was finally 10 cm and ready to get the baby out! I had no idea that only one nurse would be with us during all the pushing.  At the very end, the doctor and a whole arsenal of nurses come in.  Definitely not like the movies!  I ended up throwing up twice during this time.  Not sure where the nausea came from, but it was gross.  And I couldn't believe that after 9 months of being pregnant, I threw up for the first time in the last hour!  I pushed for an hour, and then we met our son!

Cole Henry Heinemann

7 pounds, 11 ounces

21 inches long

August 17, 2012, 4:06 pm

 Ah this picture is so precious to me! Worth being so hungry and so pregnant and so exhausted! Cole had just had his first successful meal outside of the womb here. I prayed so vigilantly on him being able to nurse well.  So thankful!!!

Trying to figure out how to put Cole's first outfit on... not easy!

 We went home Sunday around noon.  Our stay in the hospital was excellent.  We got plenty of sleep and had lots of family and friends spoil us with meals.  The End!

3rd Trimester...Last Update!

Oh mercy, this has been a challenging 3 weeks.  I still can't complain...this pregnancy has been so easy and uncomplicated compared to several of my friends and stories I have heard.  But I have slowed down quite a bit! 

I have been going to the doctor every week now...all is healthy and on track to deliver this baby.  I am one centimeter and effaced at least 50%.  My consistent, painful Braxton Hicks that I get ALL the time mean nothing, and I had to turn down the most tempting offer of all time!! My doctor offered me an induction at 39 weeks.  The practice I go has at least 10 doctors, and she likes to be at her patients' deliveries.  I could have said 'YES' to meeting our son TODAY! Talk about feeling like Eve in the Garden of Eden.  I would love to close the book on this season and begin our new adventure as parents, but I also really want to experience going into labor and hopefully have a more positive experience than Pitocin would offer....

So, Tom and I decided we will wait until after Cole's due date (August 20) to induce.  I don't really care if my doctor is there. I just hope I get to go into labor on my own before then! But that was not an easy decision! I have had enough of this pregnancy experience!!!

I will add a 40 week picture if we get there... hopefully my 9 month season of self portraits is over...?!?!?!

The Positives:
Still no stretch marks.  Blood Pressure is normal.  Swelling isn't bad...I can still see my ankles. Weight gain is still on track (but I will be pumped to see those numbers go back down!). I can still go on 3 mile walks without waddling or peeing, but it feels like I ran uphill 9 miles afterward.  

The Not-So-Positives:
Sleeping is still all right.  I wake up usually 2-3 times to pee, but it is so painful to get out of bed! I usually wake up to Braxton Hicks, which make it quite challenging to roll out of bed with my stomach contracting.  When I wake up, my fingers are swollen and my joints are super stiff for a few hours.  I feel like an old man!  I still have heartburn, but I think it is getting better as Cole drops.  I have hemorrhoids.  Yuck.  I just use baby wipes and keep up the fiber intake.  My back is sore.  My ribs on my right side are sore.  My boobs are sore. and huge.  (but that is sure to stick around if I can nurse Cole)!  Oh, and I also think I am in labor at least every other day.  Shame on me, but it is so hard to not read into every possible sign of labor.  Sigh. I am trying to trust in the Lord's timing in these last few weeks, but it is so hard!!!

Nesting:
Well, lets just say WE ARE READY TO MEET YOU COLE! I have cleaned things I've never cared about (garage, fridge, pantry...what???!!!).  I made and froze enough meals to last us until Christmas.  I have no idea what I will do with myself next week.  Hopefully, I will not get crazy enough to touch the baseboards or detail the cars. 

Third Trimester Update

I have made it to week 36! Definitely in the home stretch here... The first update can be found here. Not a whole lot has changed. Except my size and speed. Yesterday, I told Tom I was going to lay down for a second and arose from the dead 2 hours later.  Oops.  It is hard work to grow a human!

Here are the latest updates that come to mind...

Exercise:
I have got to stretch more!!! My joints and muscles are getting so stiff.  Prenatal yoga is great, but so boring compared to regular yoga, but I just need to suck it up and remind myself that it will help me stay comfortable and minimize all the hip/back pain.

I am still walking, just slower.  It is hot outside, so I have to go early.  Which usually means a nap after.  :)

Videos... Tis' the Olympic season...so Summer Sanders and I have been spending some quality time together.  This video is great.  It has a full length (45-60 min) and express (25-30 min) workout for each trimester.  I am all about the third trimester option right now.  Moves slower, prepares you for labor (supposedly) and I feel sore the next day.

Food/Cravings:
Ice Water.  Ice Water.  Ice Water.  I can't get enough.  Cereal...Sometimes two or three bowls in one day! Fruit smoothies. Frozen Yogurt. Basically, light meals that are cold.

Sleep:
I can still sleep like a rock about 5 times a week! It takes me a while to fall asleep, either because of comfort issues or my mind is spinning a billion miles a minute, but waking up a couple times to pee doesn't bother me.  Cole is hanging out up in my rib cage, and definitely has not "dropped" yet... so peeing often may soon replace my inability to breathe. 

Braxton Hicks Contractions:
Oh yeah.  My estimate is 40-50 a day at this point.  I am trying to count today to see how accurate that is, but we are up to 17 already, and most of them happen in the afternoon and evening... Unfortunately these don't give any indication of labor on the horizon.  Maybe my uterus will just have super strength and spit Cole out in record time.

None-So-Far:
No stretchmarks, vericose veins, cankles/swelling, hemorrhoids, waddling, blood pressure issues.


My first "down under" check with my doctor is Thursday... we will see what kind of progress has been made in meeting our little mister!

Pregnancy Must Haves

My pregnancy has been pretty smooth, compared to some stories I hear.  Not always a joy, and not always easy...but I can't complain! These are some of the things that have kept my complaining to a minimum...

The Snoogle. A dream come true.  I hated it at first.  It takes a while to get used to something that large in a bed that already has a rather large man in it.  But now, at 8 months pregnant, I am sleeping comfortable and without any complaints.

This Video.  It would be difficult not pregnant. Push-ups, crunches, lunges...all things challenging (includes Kegals...ha!).  I have used this video for almost my whole pregnancy once or twice a week and was thankful mostly to just see a 9 month pregnant super woman working out and showing me what I was actually still allowed and capable to do!

A Pool. For both lap swimming and leisurely floating. So great to cool off in the summer and to get in some exercise! I go to Gold's Gym for the exercise and several pools around San Antonio for some opportunity to work on my tan and float around.   

TUMS!!!!!!!!!! Ah! I have forever hated Tums.  Might as well eat sidewalk chalk. But heartburn/acid reflux/indigestion is far far far worse than eating Tums.  I feel fine after all meals.  It is as soon as I lay down at night to sleep that the burps of fire begin.  A-W-F-U-L.  Recently have been trying some new tricks...drinking a ton of water an hour after dinner (not great for the squished bladder, but worth it), staying vertical for at least 60 minutes after eating, and to read/attempt to fall asleep propped up.  Last night was a success.  We will see if my tricks continue to work... Oh yeah.  I had 4 Tums between dinner and bedtime.  hahaha!

 Nuts.  These specific nuts hit the spot.  They also come in little bags that are great for on the road and low blood sugar moments.  Tasty, packed with protein, and some dark chocolate.  Pricey, but worth it.

Blender.  Not everything sounds good when you are pregnant.  A smoothie ALWAYS sounds good.  I can get so much goodness in one drink! I usually throw in a Greek yogurt for some calcium and protein, a ton of random fruit, and sometimes I blend in dry oatmeal for the fiber.  I usually freeze our leftover fruit right before it goes bad, and also buy the bags of frozen mixed fruit at the grocery store.  I also love Jamba Juice, but that is a once-in-a-while treat.  :)

Fiber.  Prenatal vitamins + iron + weird bowel and intestine changes.....must have fiber.

While it looks like dog food, it tastes delicious.  Try some.

Friends.  Couldn't have made it this far without them!!! Love every minute of their stories of experience and advice, and I love having friends that will listen to my griping on feeling huge and yucky and always turn it back to the Lord.  So thankful for them.  Cole has some great aunts in his future. 

Superman. What a trooper this fellow of mine has been.  For the sake of not being mushy, I will just say that this experience has been one of the weirder ones in my life, but it has been hilarious with Tom and totally manageable.  Love that beast of a man.

Cole's Room

I think Cole's room is finished... hah! A little rug or some curtains could be added, but I think I am content.  It has been so fun to take his empty room and transform it into probably my favorite room in the house. Which is a good thing, because rumor has it that I will be spending quite a bit of time in there...

The Details:
Chair, Crib and Dresser: Babies R Us
Bookshelf: Bed Bath and Beyond
Baskets: Michaels
Bedding: Target
Lamp: Target (added some ribbon to the lamp shade)
Canvas over Dresser: Hobby Lobby
Canvases over Crib: I made those! Designed them on Microsoft Word and then had them printed on canvas.
Blankets on Chair: Made by Tom's mom and Tom's cousin.  Can't buy those anywhere!
Changing Pad Cover: Amazon

The Last Trimester, Part I

Now that I am up to date on these posts, and the fact that the third trimester is when all the crazy happens, I will start this post and then add to it as things change... We are in the home stretch!


Growing Belly:
So far, I feel like my growing belly has stalled out temporarily...I am very aware that this will change soon!! But from even the 28 week picture until now, I don't see or feel much change.  But Tom did tell me the other day that I "grew out" of one of my maternity tops!! HA! The stripes were a little toooo stretched out... Thankful for my honest husband.

The Fun Stuff:
The last month has been busy.  We went to Austin to hang out with Jean and Travis for Memorial Day, I had my third shower in Plano, we went to Houston to see Morgan and a friend, go to Katherine's wedding and spend the night with Jean and Travis! Busy! This weekend we have our 8 hour birthing class at the hospital.  Tom is overjoyed.  haha!!

Memorial Day Fun

Pretty Bride Katherine

The Pregnancy Side Effects:
 (I am sure I will need to update these as we get closer. Eight weeks left for things to get crazy!)


Stretch Marks - nope. I think (and hope) my great genes will pull through for me! My mom and sister are stretch mark free, so I have some hope in this elastic skin.

Blood Pressure - It has been around 60/110 or 70/110 the whole pregnancy.  Which I think is healthy.  This could definitely change toward the end as well.

Weight Gain - I have gained weight.  hahaha!  No avoiding that. I have gained 25 pounds, and am hoping to stay under 35 pounds.  I gained the most rapidly the first trimester, and very little the second trimester. So far, a pound a week is the pattern for this trimester.

Swelling - Not yet! Cross your fingers for me!!!! I can still wear my wedding ring, and my toes still have their long, gangly look.  I am fairly confident this will change soon.  Really soon.

Sleeping - With summer coinciding with my third trimester, the pressure to get a good night of sleep is off.  I can always sleep in a little or nap if needed.  Which, in my opinion,  is super! I usually wake up once to pee, and then have no trouble falling back asleep.  Dreams have been rather vivid, but nothing scary or weird.

Back Pain - I had have had tight joints and back pain occasionally throughout the pregnancy.  The back/hip pain usually bothers me at night, and is typically after working out later in the day or doing lunges! I have tried to stretch more and do more prenatal yoga to help in this arena.

Leg Cramps - I have had one charlie horse the whole pregnancy.  That was terrible, and I hope to not experience that again!

Gestational Diabetes - Nope... I passed the orange soda test.  That was a yucky feeling.  My blood work showed that my iron was low, so now I take an additional mega vitamin, which I think gives me a little more energy.

Veins - No varicose veins.  I have had spider veins since high school, so those might look a little darker, but nothing worth complaining about.

Heartburn - Ugh! Yes! Just at night, and Tums do the trick.  If I eat light, I have no issues. Last week, HEB had a meal deal and we got some free chili cheese fritos...the flames of fire that shot through my esophagus were unreal.  Fritos, I will see you again soon, I promise!

Belly Button - Well........it definitely looks different.  Its not sticking out, but you can see it through my clothes.  And when Mister Cole is rolling around in that area, it is really funny to watch my belly button stick out and go back in.  SO WEIRD.. my own personal turkey timer.

The Second Trimester

Wow...where to begin?! The 2nd trimester had so many huge and exciting events... I felt great, my belly officially "popped", we had lots of fun stuff going on, registering and showers began, we named our baby...I loved weeks 14 - 28!


The Physical Changes:

There is definitely an energy that reappears the 2nd trimester.  The nausea for me did continue, but only for maybe 15-45 minutes a few random mornings.  You will be able to tell the huge growth spurts our baby had in the pictures of my belly.  I think when baby and belly are rapidly growing, it is super tough on your body! This trimester was clearly the change from, maybe gaining weight to definitely pregnant! It was definitely weird while it is happening to your body, but fun to look back at the pictures.

My contacts continued to be an issue, maybe until week 22.  I toughed it out and just carried drops with me everywhere I went.  I would rather see out of cloudy contacts then wear my glasses.  So vain!

Exercising was great in this trimester.  It was SPRING, which made it so easy to get outside and go for a walk.  I also swam at the gym, did prenatal yoga, and weights/toning videos.

Sleeping was off and on.  I had to officially stop sleeping on my back, which was so hard to adjust too.  I am so particular with my sleeping positions! My friend let me borrow her snoogle, which was mostly obstructive annoying until a few weeks ago (30 weeks now). My hips would cramp up and I had a few rather vivid dreams.  All typical, just odd to experience yourself.  Peeing in the middle of the night was no issue.  I think I have a warrior bladder from being a teacher.

Gender Reveal!

At our 20 week appointment, we got to meet our SON, Cole Henry Heinemann!!!!! He made his gender known very clearly, and we were so so so pumped to start calling our baby by name! We knew that we wanted the middle name to be Henry, after Tom's grandfather.  He was such a great man, and we will be so honored if our son takes after him.  After that, the hunt was on for a short name that sounded great with Henry and Heinemann! (Not an easy task!!!) Aunt Jean came to the rescue with Cole Henry.  We both loved it! What is the meaning? We don't know.  We just love the name! Thanks Jean :)

It's a Boy! Cole Henry Heinemann

Registering and Baby Showers:

Now that we knew Cole was on his way and my showers were quickly approaching, my procrastination to do research and register had to end.  Luckily I have the best friends and family in the world, and they compiled their "can't live without" lists for me.  SO THANKFUL! This was such a lifesaver, so I must pass them on to my future mom friends
.

 Registry List #1                   Registry List #2

Passing the Time:
The second trimester had TONS of fun stuff going on! We went skiing in Colorado with Tom's family, Jean and Travis came to visit in San Antonio, for Easter we went to Austin to see my parents and my sister's family, Morgan came to town, then Tom's parents, girls weekend in New Braunfels with Rach and Emily, Grant's first birthday, my first baby shower with my girlfriends in San Antonio, and then my second baby shower/breakfast with my coworkers, and then school was out for summer! Crazy busy.  Crazy fun.