Happy Anniversary

Duane and I celebrated our 6th anniversary! This year Duane did all of the cooking with a little instruction. We had our traditional dinner of pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes. Duane did a great job and it tasted wonderful. It has been a really exciting year for us with the pregnancy. This year will be the last for a long time that it will just be the two of us. We both look forward to the changes the next year will bring.

Finally a changing table...

We finally found a changing table for the baby! I didn't think we were ever going to find one. We haven't seen too many for sale. What ones we have seen, were too expensive for us. This changing table is much nicer than I had expected to find in our price range. This type of changing table usually sells for around $75.00 + used. To buy them new they cost over $200.00. Baby and wedding stuff is always so overpriced for some reason.

Duane pointed out all the flaws and talked the owner down to $20.00. The drawers had been taped shut from being moved and there was some tape and sticky adhesive left over. I knew that with a little bit of rubbing and Windex that it would come right off. One of the legs was lose which made it wobbly. The bolt fastening the leg on underneath just needed tightening. That only took Duane about a minute to fix. It was dusty and dirty from being in storage somewhere. Once wiped down it looked great. There is only one little scuff on the bottom drawer and a couple tiny marks. It really is in excellent condition. Very solid too.

Sometimes I wonder why people don't take the time to clean things up to sell. With a about 10-20 minutes of effort this changing table could have been sold for three times what we paid for it. I am not complaining after all, their loss is my gain.

32 Weeks

Everything is going well here. I am at 32 weeks and 1 day today. We went for an ultrasound on Monday. They were checking to see if the placenta moved up at all. It is still partially covering the cervix. So I will go back in 4 weeks for another ultrasound. If it hasn't moved up, then I will have the c-section. The vaginal birth is safer, so I guess it is my preference. However, for the most part I don't really care either way.

The baby was weighing approximately 4lbs. 9oz. She is still ahead of schedule based on her size. She is head down now and still has her feet and hands right up around her head. It looked like she had her toe in her mouth. We went in for the ultrasound right after breakfast and she was moving around a lot. For the most part I still couldn't feel it. I learned this week that women with a tilted uterus generally feel the baby move less. I think that is the case with me.

This week the doctors started me on stress tests. I will have those twice a week until the baby is born. Nothing is wrong, it is standard procedure for women with lupus and the placenta previa. It monitors the baby's heart beat and checks for any contractions. My test on Monday looked great.

I went in today for a special injection that helps the baby's lungs develop. I will go tomorrow for another one. They are doing that just in case I have to have the baby early because of the placenta. If the placenta would tear or I start to dilate, then they would have to take the baby. I am getting further, so the baby is much more developed. Usually the lungs are the last thing the doctors are concerned about. I am not too worried about it. I did have some spotting after all my appointments on Monday, but it was really minor. In the future, I won't schedule more than one-two things on the same day. I haven't had any major problems and the placenta is only partially touching, so I think that I will make it to at the least 36-38 weeks.

This past month I gained 1 lb. again, which is good. Next month the baby will start gaining more weight, so I probably gain more. She really grew a lot the last two weeks. I can feel her move more now, but it isn't uncomfortable. Since she keeps her hands and feet down near her head. I see her bottom shift around and it sticks out. It is neat to see and feel. I have really been enjoying this connection with her.

I had to go for a second diabetes screening two weeks ago. The nurses at the doctors office didn't give me good information about preparing for the first exam. I found out when I was getting instructions for the second test, that I didn't fast long enough. With the low acid count in my stomach, I have to usually fast longer than a normal person. The test required a 12 hour fast. From past experience with stomach scopes, I know it takes longer than 12 hours for my stomach to completely empty. If I fast 14 hours, then that is enough. The second test was a long one - 3 hours long. I had to drink a ton of water to keep hydrated. By the time we got done and got something to eat it was 19 hours since I ate. I actually wasn't too hungry, but was starting to feel weak as we were sitting down to eat. It wasn't fun, but than again it wasn't that bad either. The second test came back normal, so that was good. My blood pressure has been great, around 100-110 on the top and normal levels on the bottom.

I can't really complain. I don't have a lot of the problems/aches/pains that most women have with their pregnancies. The tendinitis in my right wrist has been acting up. So I haven't been on the computer very much lately. I guess it is acting up from doing more with my hands from being on bed rest. I am starting to feel warmer than usual. I feel most comfortable around 68 degrees. Once it gets around 78+ than I start to get warm. However, as long as there is air flow, then I am usually okay. Overall, I really don't feel much different than normal. I am really fortunate.

Duane and I still don't have a name picked out yet... We have a list of names we like, but nothing really jumps out to us. Chances are we will end up naming her after she is born.

I finally got my pickled eggs that I have been craving. Duane used the beets from his parents garden to make them. They were a little bitter since we used regular vinegar instead of the apple cider vinegar. We also didn't add enough sugar. Now that we have made them once, we have a better idea of what to do next time.

Today all I could think about was raw sauerkraut. Our anniversary is on Sunday, so we are planning to make our traditional pork and sauerkraut dinner. I am looking forward to it!

I am glad to be home and not going anywhere for a long time! We spent most of our summer either packing, unpacking or living out of a suitcase.