36 Weeks!

Henley looks great! The sonographer even noted that she has tons of hair. I teared up when she told me that... this is all getting so real and I'm finally starting to realize that this is really happening! I am still not dilated at all, but Dr. G says my cervix is softer than it was last week. Regardless, it looks and sounds like she is pretty comfy in there, so I don't think we have anything to worry about for a bit longer!

My Strep B and HIV tests came back negative last week, so great news! They also switched me off Lovenox to Heparin, which I have to inject twice a day. I'm not going to lie- it hurts. The Lovenox was bad at first but I got used to it... the Heparin is not getting better. All worth it, of course, but hoping that it gets easier at some point!! The point of switching off Lovenox and onto Heparin is that you cannot be on blood thinners and get an epidural because you can bleed into your spine and become paralyzed, so the Heparin acts for 12 hours (vs the Lovenox acting 24 hours), and the hope is that the Heparin will have worn off by the time you need an epidural.

Hospital bags are packed, and we are just waiting for a couple of things from my Aunt for her nursery, and then we're done! I'll post pictures (hopefully this weekend) of the final product. We also got her stroller last week, which was the last big thing on our list, and we're decorating for Christmas this week so that we don't have to do it once she is here, and she will be able to come home to a fully decked out house!

Please keep us in your prayers over the next few weeks as we prepare for this miracle that we have waited patiently for. I cannot even describe the amount of love and happiness I have towards Terry right now, and for our sweet Henley. I am sure that all women at this stage of pregnancy have these emotions, but I just feel like mine are magnified because of what we went through to get here. I am so thankful for Terry, and for the support of our family and friends throughout all of this. 

 

With love,

Crockpot Freezer Meals

Terry and I have a hard enough time now figuring out what we are going to eat, so I can't imagine how stressful it will be when Henley is here. I decided to make some freezer meals that I could just throw in the crockpot. Pinterest helped me out and gave me some recipes to go off of, mostly from this blog. I decided to start with chicken meals, and hopefully over the next few weekends I can do some beef meals. This was so easy and cheap. My grocery bill was right around $100 but I ended up with a lot of leftover stuff, and my prep time was about an hour and a half (that includes about 14 potty breaks :) ).

Here are most of the ingredients used, although I started adding to the recipes once I got going. I hope they turn out good!

I used the recipes on the blog linked above for the following:

Cilantro Lime Chicken
Chicken Fajitas
Creamy Italian Chicken (I ended up adding mushrooms and tomatoes to this and will serve over pasta)
BBQ Cranberry Chicken
Cheesy Chili Chicken
Chicken Tortilla Soup

I'll keep you posted on how they all turned out once we start cooking them!

35 Weeks!

Henley's 3D modeling days are over... she is way too squished in there to get a good shot! Our 35 week appointment and sono went great today. She is looking awesome (and is still a girl- we I continue to ask them check every week). In addition to checking up on Henley, we also did our first cervix check today- ouch. I am not dilated at all, which is fine with me as I think she still needs a few more weeks to cook! We also did the 3rd trimester HIV test, strep B test, and I got the whooping cough vaccine, so there were a lot of needles and a lot of activity in my lady parts! Next week should be less eventful- another sono and cervix check. I can't wait to see Henley again!

34 Weeks and Nursery Pics

We had our 34 week sono today and all looked great. Henley was NOT a happy camper. We got ZERO pictures of her. She was all squished up in there and at one point she got really mad- you could tell on her face that she was grouchy today. As much as I'm ready to meet her, I think today is one of those days I'm glad she was in my tummy and not out here. :)

Her nursery is coming along. My Aunt has finished all the bedding and is now working on the monogrammed chair pillow, roman shade, and changing pad covers. I'm still working on some of the decor on the bookshelf and I'm not quite done with the collage above her dresser. Here are some pictures of where we are now. I'll add more later. I'm so happy with how it's all turning out. I just hope it gets finished before she gets here!!!

33 Weeks!

Henley is looking great! Fluid levels are all good and she weighs ~ 4lbs 9oz!! We finally got a clear shot of her face today. I still think she looks just like her Daddy. The sonographer did comment that she has really chubby cheeks and a double chin. And look at those lips!!

 

32 Weeks!

We had our 32 week sono today and all looks great with Henley! She has plenty of fluid, and her 'breathing' and movements all look normal. We will be going back weekly for a sonogram to check on these things. We are also still attempting to get a good 3D pic of her. She is just not cooperating. She loves to have her hand on her face!! We will try again next week!

 

Baylor L&D Tour

Today we did the tour of the labor and delivery building at Baylor, where Henley will be born. It felt so weird being a part of that huge group of growing bellies. I had to fight back tears at least 5 times during the tour. It feel so unreal that we are here and I cannot put into words how happy and thankful I am.

The tour was good. The rooms are very nice and the tour made Terry and I anxious for Henley's arrival!! I had a minor freak out moment on Saturday- it went something like this:

We had chili for dinner, and I looked down at my package of Fritos.

Me: OMG, Terry, my fritos expire on December 3rd.
Terry: Ew, of 2012? Throw them away.
Me: Seriously? You totally missed the point.

You know it's getting close when you start seeing food expire around Henley's due date! So exciting!