30 weeks!

30 weeks! 7 more weeks until our baby girl is fully developed and praying she's healthy, strong, and progressing normally.  My friend, N's water broke tonight and she's 37 weeks tomorrow!  It's been a blessing being pregnant together the past few months and supporting each other since it's our first baby experience.  I'm so excited to meet her little guy and am praying for a smooth and uneventful delivery. It's starting to hit me...our lives are going to dramatically change in 7-13+ weeks depending on if she comes early, on time, or late.  We better get moving on the nursery!  I'm officially an LPC (licensed professional counselor) and in the process of cranking out as many CE (continuing education) credits, as well as, ACT 48 credits before she comes.

What a journey this has been as I reflect on 2011-2012.   Last April, we had an ectopic pregnancy.  After 2 weeks of recovery, I finished out the school year and decided it would be my last year since we were going to pursue IVF ICSI when my body was ready.  My colleague and friend encouraged me to sit for the NCE (National Counselor Exam) and spent the summer studying for it.  For me, it was helpful to "do something" in the midst of grief while processing it.  Got the OK to start  IVF in Aug, but preliminary blood work showed that hypo-thyroidism had surfaced and needed to be on Synthroid for a month before starting IVF.  Egg retrieval or implant (can't remember) would be a day or two before my big exam and decided to push IVF back to Jan and start in the new year without any stress or distractions.  Passed the exam in Dec and started shots in Jan.  Confirmed pregnancy in Feb and license came in the mail last week!  What a process...I didn't even go into the heart change stuff and just listed the circumstantial stuff.  God's plans for your life far exceed the circumstances of your day - Louie Giglio
http://www.scribd.com/doc/78325066/God-s-plans

Sleep:  My friend lent me a firm memory foam pillow and it's helped prop me up a bit so my sleep has been better on the side.  Two nights ago, I was sound asleep and J didn't wake me up in the morning because I finally had a good nights sleep.  I slept at 2 am and woke up at 9 am without getting up during the night and I stayed on my left side the entire time.  7 hours of sleep felt so good! :)

Movement:  Baby girl moves a lot and she feels higher.  I have a feeling that my low line placenta has corrected itself as she's grown.  I was at Costco the other day and an employee asked when I was due and guessed I was having a girl.  I was surprised and asked how she could tell.  She said, "because the baby is sitting high."  It was reassuring!  We'll confirm measurements at next Wed's ultrasound and am looking forward to seeing her again!

Cravings/Aversions:  Craving watermelon, but eating lots of grapes that my friend picked at a local farm.  Yummy!

What I miss:  Nothing at all.  Feeling really content.

Symptoms:  Bloated hands and feet, round ligament pain, and low back pain.  I noticed a black line, linea nigra, developing in the middle of my abdomen a while ago, and it's progressively getting darker.  Also, developing more skin tags along my neck that I want to scrape off.

What I look forward to:  seeing if my low line placenta corrected itself at next weeks ultrasound.  I also meet with my NP next Wed and Endocrinologist on Thursday.  Lots of upcoming appointments!

Milestones: According to babycenter.com, our baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage).  A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face.