Todd's birthday and our 4D Ultrasound

The 18th was Todd's birthday! So of course we celebrated like rock stars! But mostly just like a boring married couple that is expecting their first child. :) We went to dinner last night at PF Chang's with my family and then had some chocolate bundt cake for dessert. Todd got a bunch of money and gift cards which I will have to make sure he spends because sometimes he forgets to stop doing so much research and just buy something! :) I got him an awesome USA soccer shirt that he ended up loving and wanting all along. I had no idea! I must have read his mind. :)

The morning of his birthday we had a 4D ultrasound that my mom, Todd's mom, my sister-in-law, Staci and my sister Christy(&Ethan and Nate) were able to attend. It was so much fun! As soon as the ultrasound tech put the little machine on my belly, I just started tearing up! She measured the babies heartbeat and I lost it! So happy to have a healthy baby boy inside my belly! I love being a mom! We got to see so much of him. He smiled for us, showed off his boy parts pretty openly. (I'll be having a talk with him about that.) We also got to see him blinking his eyes, we saw some hair on his head and his little hands stacked one on top of the other. So cute! She said he is estimated to be around 4 pounds and 3 ounces and about 14 inches long. She guestimated that if he was born at 40 weeks he would be 7 lbs 14 oz or about 8 lbs. I hope she is right! I want him to stay cookin' in me until he is healthy and strong.

We were also able to visit the hospital and tour the maternity ward. I didn't realize that 20 other people would be touring the place with us so I made sure that I was at the front of the pack so I could hear everything and ask questions. I was so glad to hear that St. Rose is making their hospitals more mommy-baby friendly, meaning the baby will be with me the whole time, I will have lots of skin on skin and breastfeeding time with him and he will be rooming in with me the whole time. Overall, I was surprised at how accommodating they are planning to be. I was nervous that the hospital might give my baby a bottle or something if he wasn't nursing right away but they have lactation specialists to help new mommies and the new baby figure it all out. I am actually looking forward to birthing little Troy! I know it will be a crazy experience and most likely the most pain I will ever endure but for some reason, it doesn't scare me now, I just can't wait to see his face and kiss his cheeks and I'll go through anything to be able to do that!

We loved seeing Troy on the ultrasound. I'm pretty sure Todd enjoyed it but I was in absolute heaven on earth. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and am still in shock that there is a baby inside me. haha You would think after 8 months of being pregnant and a little person kicking me all day long would be enough to prove that there is actually a baby in there but it still blows my mind. I think it will be a weird but obviously very special moment when I see him for the first time.

I had an appointment with my OB the other day and they want me to get an ultrasound through their "people" so they can get good measurements of Troy. I am measuring a little small for my gestation and they want to make sure Troy is healthy and strong! I can't complain because I really do love seeing him on those ultrasound screens but it would be nice if they were free. :) haha

Speaking of FREE! My good friend, Amy told me that I might qualify or a free breast pump through my insurance. So I did a little digging and guess what?! I qualify! Free Medela breast pump coming to the Manning home! So excited about it because I plan on breastfeeding lots and I would love to not pay $200+ for a breastpump! Hooray for scoring deals on baby stuff.

So far everything has been normal and going really great with my pregnancy. Troy is sitting a little low these days so sometimes it's a little uncomfortable but sometimes it's totally fine! It's different every day. I love feeling him move around now, he is so big that it can be a little painful but I love feeling his feet push near my ribs and his hand push down by my hip/leg. He's just stretching out and making more room for himself to grow! Being pregnant is so much fun-I love it! We're so excited to see baby Troy in just 6 weeks! Crazy! So excited though!

Pregnancy Update

It's been about a month since my last update and I should probably try and be better about it because this pregnancy is flying by! I feel like it was just yesterday that I found out I was pregnant and now I have this belly on me that is just getting bigger and bigger and BIGGER every single day!

Lately Troy has been really active! I don't know if he is being more active than before or not but it definitely feels different. Instead of the light kicking I would feel and the light feeling of him rubbing his hand or foot across my belly, it is now a lot stronger. He kicks so hard sometimes that it scares me! When I was reading a chapter out of my book last night before bed, he kicked so hard that I gasped because it scared me. It didn't hurt very much but it wasn't super comfortable either. There have also been a few times where he will push one of his limbs out SO far that I can feel my skin stretching and little bits of pain shooting through the nerves that are being strained. I think he needs more room, ya? haha

He is getting big, around 3ish pounds now and probably around 15 or so inches long. (I should know the exact measurements this Saturday when Todd and I have an ultrasound.) That is BIG! I can't believe there is a baby that big inside my belly! And unless he is moving around, I don't even feel like I am pregnant at all. You would think having something that big in your belly would hinger the ability to breath and feel comfortable but I feel like I did before I was pregnant, which is great!

I can usually sleep pretty well, although sometimes my hips will hurt and be sore so I'll have to roll over from one side to the other multiple times per night. I have to get up to use the restroom about 3-4 times or more per night, which was annoying at first but I'm used to it now and have decided to just accept it because I know I will be sleeping like that when the baby comes.

One of my friends who was one week farther along than me just had her baby girl 9 weeks early! I have to say, that was pretty scary for me, as I am sure it was for her as well. I just kept thinking what if I went into labor and they couldn't stop it?! I'm not ready for baby Troy to be here yet! As much as I want to see him, I want him to be healthy and fully developed before that time comes AND I want to have some baby essentials besides the stuff I have now. I have a million outfits already, tons of clothes but no baby gear like a baby bath, shampoo, wipes and the flippin car seat! haha So anyway, that really put some perspective on the fact that it just happens when it happens.

I have so much to do and prepare for before Troy gets here. We are planning on moving into a bigger place soon so I just hope that I can get everything unpacked and set up before he comes! I feel like my mind can be in 10 different places at once sometimes, I have so many things I have to do lately that I have to write them down as soon as I think of them or I will totally space it for a while until it pops into my head again and then I'll stress about it even more because I didn't do it the first time I thought of it! Crazy times.

Todd continues to be the best husband ever. He is very helpful and will drop what he is doing to rub my back for me if it is sore or to take me out for dinner because I'm sick of eating the food in the house. He talks to baby Troy and tells him he loves him and loves to feel Troy move around. He usually says "Woah!" everytime Troy moves, which makes it more fun for me because I'm so used to the movement that it reminds me how cool it is when Todd feels it and has that look on his face like, "Is that MY baby?!" haha He is so funny when I come into the room because my belly is getting so big now and Todd just smiles and rubs it.

I have been researching birthing classes and different methods people use during labor, I thought a lot about hypnobirthing and the bradley method but honestly they are just way too ridiculously expensive. I found another great birthing class for around $50 and am going to be doing that one, it's online which is great for us because we can just do it at home. I have heard from many people that they think birthing classes are useless and they might be, but I want to decide for myself. :) I don't like feeling unprepared for something important and birthing a child seems like something I should educate myself on a little bit, don't ya think? haha

My sister-in-law, Kim, has been a big help with educating me on pregnancy, labor, and breast feeding. I am so looking forward to breast feeding. I get a little sad when I think about Troy not being in my belly anymore so I know that being able to breast feed him and him needing me will make me feel a little bit better when I don't have him moving around inside me all day long, and all night sometimes too! haha

I was able to go to lunch with my friend Lauren before she moved back to Utah. It was fun just talking and catching up. I remember when she sent me a text of a little ultrasound peanut and told me she was pregnant! Then a couple of weeks later I found out I was pregnant! So much fun to be pregnant with friends. I have been lucky to have a lot of pregnant friends around me, which helps because I worry a lot so hearing that they were going through the same things I was made it easier for me to just relax and let me body do what it was made to do!

Todd and I spent a week in Newport Beach, CA with my family in July. It's our annual family vacation and it was such a blast! It was extra special this year because my sister and her WHOLE family were able to come and spend time with us. Bryan usually has to stay in Vermont and go to school but he was able to get time off from school to have a family vaca and then he went up to Salt Lake City to do a rotation in the University of Utah hospital for Anesthesiology. We had a blast down there, the weather is so beautiful and there are so many fun things to do. Todd got up every morning and played tennis while I slept in. :) We went to the beach, shopping, ate at some fabulous restaurants and just spend some good quality time together with family and friends. I took my week 28 picture with my sister in front of the Newport Beach LDS temple.

My belly has been growing a lot and I can't believe how big it is every day when I wake up. I have been bumping it kind of a lot in the past week...on the refrigerator or the table when I get up from eating. Thankfully I don't bump it too hard but I do need to be better about giving myself more space to move around.

I guess that's all for this post. I will be getting an ultrasound done on Saturday morning so I'll be posting about that soon! Can't wait to see my little boy!