August so far

*33 weeks, 1 day*

It's been a little while since I've posted last, because I've been SO busy. Between August 1st and August 8th, I worked almost 70 hours in preparation for my much needed and deserved vacation to Piatt Lake. I had an OB appointment on 8/7 to basically get the okay to go away on vacation to the middle of nowhere, where the nearest hospital was an hour away, and not a very good hospital at that. Thankfully, there were no crises so I didn't have to worry about it!! At the appt, the doctor said things were still looking good - my BP is perfect, baby's heart rate's still in the 140s, and I'm measuring on target.

Vacation was delightful. The weather was the nicest I've ever experienced up there - sunny and warm every single day! I think it maybe rained once and it was while I was still in bed... We did a lot of nothing. I floated in the lake almost every day, played card games, ate a lot of food, and watched the Cubs and the Olympics in the evening. It was just nice to get a break from the grind of work and the stressors that come along with preparing for baby.

Ben & I enjoyed our last night at the cabin
My first day back to work was my baby shower there! It was great. The girls really did a great job - the food was delicious!! I got tons of goodies - finally some diapers, wipes, and bottles so my kid can poop freely and won't starve!! We are really so grateful for all the amazing and supportive people in our lives. I know I couldn't have gotten through everything without each and every one of them...

Kari, me, & Megan at my shower
The afternoon of 8/18 was another OB appt. Same as usual - great BP, heart rate still in the 140s, measuring well. I'm up about 18lbs, and by what I've read should gain about a pound a week from here on out, putting my total post-IVF weight gain at 25lbs. I feel good for the most part. Now it's just little discomforts that are starting to get to me, such as chronic constipation (I know, TMI - sorry) and the swelling in my left foot.

The baby moves like crazy all the time, and he seems to be the most active when we're laying in bed at night. It makes me laugh, because I try to imagine what body part is doing what, and how hard Baby K must be trying to get comfy. He pokes a lot on my left side when I'm laying on my right, so Ben rests his hand and just waits. It's usually not very long before the antics begin!

We still feel like we have SO much to do... Our priorities now are (really in no particular order) 1) finding a pediatrician - I have a few in mind, I just need to "interview" them, 2) getting life insurance and writing a will - I lump those together because they're so of the "legal" matters that need tending to, and 3) deciding on a cord blood bank and registering - I think we've pretty much decided to spend the money and bank the baby's cord blood... technology is an amazing thing as we've already beared witness to, so we think it's totally worth the cost.

There are a few other things on the "to do" list of course, such as finish cleaning and organizing the nursery, packing a bag for the hospital, and you know, maybe NAMING the kid... yeah, we're still working on that one!