35 weeks

How peanut is doing:
I went to the doctor yesterday and all is well with baby girl. Her heartbeat was perfect and it was confirmed, she has dropped!! Ahhh yay, hopefully this means we're getting closer! I've been drinking a lot of water lately so the contractions have slowed down, thanks goodness. I don't want her to be irritated with me before she's even here! She has started rolling around instead of kicking, she likes to roll her foot around the right side of my stomach, its a daily thing and I enjoy it. I don't ever get tired of her kicks, even if she starts to kick right before I go to sleep. Pregnancy amazes me and the fact that there is a little human growing inside of me is beyond amazing.

How mama is doing:
Now that she has dropped, I pee every 15 minutes and continue to have the pressure feeling in my pelvis. My back constantly hurts, no matter what position I am in and sleeping is now out of the question. Constantly uncomfortable and if I get comfortable, she starts dancing in my tummy. My hours have changed at work so I'm able to get an afternoon nap in on most days. New things with me are I'm sore all over, back, in between legs, thighs, hips, belly, etc. Maybe she'll be here early, at a "safe" time where she is healthy and we have no problems! I've decided to pack my bag for the hospital now, just in case I don't have time before she makes her debut. And I'm started to get the things we still need, hopefully she'll come after I stop working so that I have some time to prepare/rest.

Next appointment is January 4th, then I start the weekly appointments. I'll update then on baby girl's status and my progress. They'll start checking my cervix to see if I'm dilated or effaced at all, wahoooo!

A little over 5 weeks left

Our baby girl's 3D/4D images at 33 1/2 weeks! She was yawning in the middle one! Looks like she has my eyes, BIG eyes, and chubby cheeks! Now that we got that ultrasound done, we're much more excited to meet her.

How baby girl is doing:
I've had braxton hicks contractions since about 23 weeks but the other night they scared me. Braxton hicks contractions are practice contractions, it's your uterus getting ready for the big day! I started having them around 5pm, then I was busy so didn't notice they were frequent until I chilled out. At this point, they had been going on for about 3 hours so my mom and I started timing them, they were scattered and not painful. At about 11pm, I called the nurse line and they told me to come in. They put me on the monitor to monitor the baby's heartbeat and how frequent the contractions were happening. She was still moving in between contractions and her heartbeat was fine but they checked me anyways and I wasn't dilated (Thank God). They told me I needed to drink more water, about 6-8 bottles a day, because Brooklyn is irritated and that's what is causing the contractions. She's getting bigger and so I need to drink more water to give her more fluid. Contractions are gone now and she's been really active lately, so everything is back to normal, just a few more weeks and she'll be here! I think she has dropped or will soon, I'll have to ask my doctor on Monday but I have to pee every 15 minutes and she's not in my ribs as much anymore. My stomach doesn't look "lower" but I have a lot of pressure in my pelvic area! At this point, Brooklyn should be gaining 1/2 a pound a week and could be at the height she'll be born at. She isn't breech anymore, which is another reason I think she has dropped. My appointment is on Monday so I'll post about how she's doing then.

How mom's doing:
I've had the easiest pregnancy up until recently, but I'm about to be in the last month so being uncomfortable is expected. Last weekend my brother got married and from the Wednesday before the wedding, the family was going nonstop plus I had work every day so nights were bad, I had heartburn, back aches, and I was exhausted. I stop working in a 3 weeks so I'll have time to rest and get some stuff I need to get before she makes her debut! People have started guessing on when she'll get here, I am guessing around the 18th of January but we'll see! I think about her being here all the time, I know people say enjoy the quiet and rest but I think spending the day/night with her will make getting no sleep worth it.

I'll update again after my appointment on Monday! After the next appointment, I start the weekly appointments with my OB!

33 WEEKS

WOW! Time has flown by and I've had the easiest pregnancy I could have ever hoped for. I went to the doctor yesterday and all is well with peanut. Her heartbeat was normal and my weight gain is really good, she's getting bigger every week. They say starting at 32 weeks, a baby grows 1/2 a pound a week until he/she is born, which would explain why I'm starting to get hungry more often throughout the day. I've gained a total of 23 pounds, which is 7 away from the 'goal' weight they set for me of 30 pounds total. I don't know where all 23 pounds went because my stomach and boobs are the only things that have grown, haha! Brooklyn moves so much and I love it, she likes to move once I'm comfortable in bed and ready to fall asleep but honestly, it doesn't bother me, I just laugh. She doesn't keep me awake which is good but I do have to pee every few hours throughout the night. I can only sleep on my left side and I have to have a pillow in between my knees. I've noticed if I even lay on my right side for longer than a minute, she kicks my right side and I get extremely uncomfortable. Lately, I've been getting heartburn every night, tums are my best friend. I've also been dealing with back pain which would be okay if it was my shoulders because I'm used to that but the pain is in my lower and middle back which is unbearable sometimes. A warm bath, heating pad, a walk, or getting on my hands and knees usually helps ease the pain. I can honestly say, yes I'm always uncomfortable but I like being pregnant. Dylan is understanding of my mood swings and massages my back like every night. I've had it really easy but I see much discomfort in this last month and a half of being pregnant!
Me and Dylan took our first child development class tonight, we talked about the stages of labor and what to expect. It's supposed to help with the nervousness of not knowing what to expect but now I'm more frightened and nervous than I was before. I think it's just the thought of never experiencing that kind of pain and not knowing if I can push our baby out. Some people's bodies don't allow them to have a baby the 'natural' way so they end up having a c-section and that kind of scares me. I really want to be able to give birth to my baby without having to have a c-section. The stages of labor amazed me to because I didn't know there are different stages. All I have to tell myself is it's all worth it in the end because I have to go through that to end up with my baby in my arms.
I've been a little uneasy about Brooklyn being a girl. I don't think the doctor was wrong but I want to say almost every pregnant girl thinks "what if my baby isn't a girl" or "what if my baby isn't a boy". We have been preparing for a girl and I don't have any reason to doubt her gender but me and a coworker had a dream I was holding a boy. I think it's just my mind playing tricks on me as I'm getting closer to her being here! We've decided to get a 3D ultrasound done this Thursday so I will post pictures of that after, I'm so excited because we get to see her facial features and her position in my stomach and its so real!
I've always knew I would be a mom but I never knew I'd get to experience this so soon. It's different than what I expected and it can be hard at times but it's totally worth it, when you're ready to have a baby. I figured I would get huge, be uncomfortable from day 1, have morning sickness, get all the symptoms the books tell you about but really all I've experienced is being uncomfortable, emotional, and getting heartburn. Everyone is different though. I was shocked when I found out I was pregnant, never thought I would be having a baby at 20. I planned on having kids at age 27, if things worked out that way. Obviously, god had a different plan for me and Dylan and here we are, 33 weeks pregnant with a little girl and we couldn't be more excited for what is to come. We've been very lucky to have our families support and our friends behind us 100 percent and I think that's what has made this so easy and exciting for us. I think for both of us, feeling her move and realizing that there is a little baby inside of my stomach growing and she's ours is one of the best feelings.

Her room is almost done but here are some pictures to show y'all what it looks like!