Fun Prego Photo Shoot :)

My beautiful friend Gretchen is also pregnant - due the end of May! We've known each other since our first day of college! From partying to weddings to babies! Her and her hubby aren't finding out the sex, so we had a little fun with our prego photo shots :). Could our babies be BFF's or bf/gf in the future?!?!?! She's almost 24 weeks in these and I am 38 weeks. Love these and her!

The week of LOVE

 <3 Baby Update - 38 weeks prego <3

 

How I'm feeling: Doing good. We've had a couple false alarms lately of going into labor, which is quite frustrating because I keep getting my hopes up. I guess patience is a virtue, right?! First regular contractions for like 6 hours and then I thought my water broke. But no baby still...

Fetal movement: Lots
Weight gain so far: 29-30 lbs (gotta love the water weight at the end!!)
Belly size: 38.5 inches around!
Wearing my weddings rings: Yep.
What I'm most excited for today: The day I actually go into labor. I am so ready to meet this little girl! I'm still pretty comfortable luckily, but I am just dying to hold my baby!
What I'm most afraid of today: All of the things that can go wrong during a delivery. Just hoping for a healthy little baby once she decides to grace us with her presence.
Cravings: Celery and peanut butter!
Stretchmarks: Nope.
Anything make you sick: Not this week.
Miss anything: A body that doesn't keep faking me out!

Happy Valentine's day everyone!

36 weeks prego

Life Update

Good news- Scott is taking over the position in Omaha and starts there in the next 2 weeks! So, he'll be close to me when I go into labor and when the baby is here. This is such a HUGE relief. It will be so so so nice to have him close to home- there's just something comforting about knowing he could get home at a moment's notice if need be.

I just finished up high risk maternal fetal medicine and start clinical psychopharmacology tomorrow. This rotation is only about 1 hour a day, so it will be MUCH easier on me in my 9th month of pregnancy. I will get to start deep cleaning the house and getting it ready to put it on the market. We obviously won't sell until we know for sure we are moving, but it will be nice to get it spick and span while I have the time!!

A little over a week ago, I had another ultrasound for fun (the perks of being in the biz). She was ~6lbs 2 oz!!!! I told her (the baby of course) that she should slow down her growth immediately as she is only supposed to be about 7 lbs when she comes out :). Here are some photos of my ADORABLE child! And yes, I am already a proud mama!

 

It appears as though my child already has pouty lips... Cant wait to kiss them :)

 

 

Baby Update - 36 weeks

 

How I'm feeling: Today, great. Although I have to say, it does vary by the day now. On Wednesday, I was having painful contractions and ended up going to the doctor to be checked. Luckily, I'm not dilating at all and the contractions passed. I think I just over do it sometimes and it caught up with me that day!  

Fetal movement: Still lots, but her movements have definitely slowed down (not as brisk). I was holding a 2 day old baby the other day and noticed that it moved a lot of the way that I imagine my baby girl moving inside me. So cute :)
Weight gain so far: 26 lbs
Belly size: 38 inches around!
Wearing my weddings rings: Yep.
What I'm most excited for today: Gosh, as cheesy as it sounds, every little thing. Even the bad days. I never thought I would be this mushy gushy mom, but honestly, I think I have become it. I love her so much already, sometimes so that I tear up when I think about it. I guess that could be the hormones too :).
What I'm most afraid of today: Match day (AKA the day that I find out where I'm doing my residency). Not baby related, but it will definitely effect my family as a whole. And it sure is quickly approaching.
Cravings: Nothing really.
Stretchmarks: Nope.
Favorite moment of the week: Prenatal yoga. Digging how good it feels to relax and center in on my body and the baby. Plus all of the stretching feels amazing!
Anything make you sick: Smells have been getting to me lately. This is weird for me because before I was pregnant, I really had a terrible sense of smell. Now, its as though I smell everything to the Nth degree. And some of it, makes me nauseas.
Miss anything: My family. I am loving this pregnancy so far, but sometimes I wish my family were closer to go through it with me.

 

Warning: I do not like this front view of me. I think my hips looks like hippos and my face looks fat and tired, HOWEVER, I do want to remember how I looked with my precious little girl inside of me, even if I don't find it flattering.

34 weeks pregnant!

Life update:

Well, life is good! I'm on high risk maternal fetal medicine right now and enjoying it. Its fun to be around pregnant ladies again, especially since I can really relate now. Scott update: busy season is over and now back to life as usual. He may be starting at a store in Omaha for the last portion of our time here, which would be sooooooo wonderful. Keep your fingers crossed people. Having him close when the baby comes would be a dream come true. We will be submitting our rank list soon for residency and then match day is March 15th, so stay tuned!!

 

My Omaha girlfriends threw me a baby shower the other weekend and it was ADORABLE! Tons of cute decorations, good food, and great company. We got a lot of good, essential items. I actually feel as though I have everything I need to bring a human into this world finally. I am ready! (I think).

 

 The cute hostesses!

 BEAVER tutu!

 BEAVER baby blanket!!

 

I used some of the decorations in the nursery. Wait til you see how cute it is (I'll post pics one day soon)!!

 

Baby update- 34 weeks pregnant:

How I'm feeling:  LARGE! And I have 6 weeks to go :(. Not sleeping very well at night and working harder hours because of the rotation I'm on = one tired lady. Besides the whale-like feelings and tiredness, I feel good, honestly. I've been going to the gym quite a bit (5 times this past week and 4 times the week before that) to try and combat the fat feelings. I do feel pretty lucky that I'm able to do so much!!

Fetal movement: Lots and lots. She has been getting the hiccups pretty regularly lately.
Weight gain so far: 24 lbs
Belly size: 37.5 inches around!
Wearing my weddings rings: Yep.
What I'm most excited for today: Rocking her to sleep in her nursery. Its pretty calming in there now with a music box and all. I was sitting in there the other day, imagining holding her and loving on her.
What I'm most afraid of today: Crash c-section. I am prepared for just about any form of labor, but a crash c-section, there's just no preparing for. They happen extremely fast and knock you out, so you aren't even with it normally when the baby comes out. No thank you.
Cravings: None this week.
Stretchmarks: Nope.
Favorite moment of the week: I got to deliver baby A of twins. Vaginal deliveries rarely happen in twins, so it was SUPER awesome to get to deliver one of them. They were so cute and of course made me so excited to meet my little girl!
Anything make you sick: The smell of greek yogurt kinda grosses me out right now.
Miss anything: Having a cute little body. I look back at pictures of myself and I'm like, damn I look good lol. Hopefully one day I can get back to that!

 

Here's Scotty at 34 weeks pregnant. Yes, he has a nasty, dirty mustache. He lost a bet at work...

 

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

What a great year its been! And holy cow did it fly by?!?! So many fun things to reflect on: getting pregnant, applying to residency, Scott passing his STL interviews, etc. We are so lucky to have such great family and friends supporting us through this adventure we are on. Love you all! Now this year, Scott will hopefully get his own store to manage (depends on availability) and become a DAD! And I will become a true Doc and a MOM!

 

Scott and I went to Chicago for my step 2 clinical skills boards and to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. We went to Melting pot for dinner... delicious!



 Then to a dualing piano bar. Which by the way, I have never had so many people give me "looks" - can a pregnant woman not enjoy music in a bar?!? Its not like I was shooting tequila or anything! Anyway, we had a good time regardless!

 Explored the city a little...

 Ate deep dish pizza!!

 And went to see A Christmas Carole

We had a really nice time! It was fun to get a way for a bit and have someone else clean up (our room) after us. Probably our last trip without a BABY! Crazy business!

 

NYE marked our 2 year anniversary. This year, we did things a little differently by staying sober. Which sounds super lame, but was actually pretty fun. Played lots of games and had plenty of good company.

 

32 weeks and 17 weeks - prego ladies :)

 Alcohol free champagne?!?! Very yummy!

 Love these ladies!

 Love this man!

 Happy New Year!!

 And here we are 2 years ago, celebrating the new year! What a fun party that was! Still so in love with my Scotty. I feel so blessed to be married to such a thoughtful, caring, patient, HOT man! :)

 

Baby update- 32 weeks pregnant:

How I'm feeling: Good for 32 weeks prego- meaning this big belly is definitely starting to get in the way. Every now and then I have twinges of pain in my lower abdomen from pushing myself too hard or feel like she may fall out, but I think thats mostly her dropping down. Weird feeling though!

Fetal movement: Pretty much the same here. Lots!
Weight gain so far: 21-22lbs (depending on the time of day of course).
Belly size: 37 inches around!
Wearing my weddings rings: Yep.
What I'm most excited for today: Really anything and everything having to do with her. I think about singing in the car with her one day, braiding her hair, teaching her to read, cuddling up with her. It all makes me so incredibly excited to be a mom.
What I'm most afraid of today: That Scott won't be at the delivery and he'll be stuck at work. I've had a couple of vivid dreams of that, where I can't get a hold of him no matter what I do and I'm about to push the baby out...
Cravings: Chai latte K-cups
Stretchmarks: Nope.
Favorite moment of the week: Celebrating my 2 year anniversary with my wonderful husband. I realize this is not baby related, but its true.
Anything make you sick: Not this week.
Miss anything: Real champagne on NYE. Being able to walk long distances and push myself at the gym without feeling like I may go into preterm labor.

 

32 weeks pregnant!

 

 I think I look kinda booty-licious in this photo, but oh well... Its hard to take any photo of myself that I love these days, so this will have to do.

 

 

 That's about it. Here's to hoping 2013 is as amazing as 2012!!

 

Merry Christmas!! 31 weeks pregnant!

Life update

Today was a great Christmas! Scott and I woke up and made a delicious breakfast (bacon/spinach/feta/mushroom quiche with cinnamon roll pancakes)...

Then we opened presents- got lots of good stuff! Then relaxed and watched A Christmas Story. Love that movie! Followed by a nap, a nice long dog walk, and a tasty dinner. Its so hard to be away from my family, but we made it as home like as possible. We even went to midnight mass last night!

 

In a few days we are headed to Chicago for my Step 2 clinical skills portion of my boards. Its pretty much an all day session of interviewing fake patients and proving you can think and talk to a patient. We are making a little trip out of it and going to a show one day and a nice dinner. Scott hasn't been to Chi-town before, so we will do a little bit of fun exploring. My next rotation starts next Wednesday- high risk maternal fetal medicine. I'm looking forward to it!!

I just got back from Portland yesterday and got some great pics while I was home! I had a wonderful shower with friends and family! It ended by me falling down a couple stairs with Jocelyn in my arms, on my belly. We headed to labor and delivery and monitored the little girl inside me for about an hour. Jocelyn luckily recovered just fine, as did my little baby and me. It was a touch scary and a heck of a way to end the shower, but I guess I was just trying to make it memorable lol?!?!

 

Pretty mommies :)

 Adorable little babies, Gracie above, and Kenna below

We also celebrated my older brother's 30th birthday party! It was so nice being able to be there for once at a Ranck celebration!

And a couple of other random pics that I love :) .... Here's me and two of my cute nephews!

 Me and my pretty mother-in-law

 

We went to Mt. Hood one day to find snow!

 

While I was home, we had to put my parent's dog, Gunner down. :( It was terribly sad- he had cancer and was having trouble breathing. He was a great dog and I miss him a lot already!!!

To try and keep Christmas spirits up, my parents got a new puppy! Meet molly!

 

 Love my girlfriends!!

 16 weeks and 31 weeks :)

 

 

The cute diaper cake from my shower!

 

Residency Interview Update

Well interviews are done!!! All 12 of them! They all went well and now Scott and I have some decisions to make. I don't turn in my rank list of the 12 programs I interviewed at until the end of February and then match day (when I find out where I'm going) isn't until March 15th. So, we have a slightly long wait ahead of us, unfortunately. I won't be posting my rank list on here (as it is a public site), but if you're interested, feel free to give a call. Match day is broadcasted online, so when it gets closer, I will let everyone know the link. You can watch Scott and I (and the BABY) go on stage and open our envelope and find out, at the same time as we do, where we are going for the next 4 years. So nerve-wracking!!!!

Baby update - 31 weeks pregnant

How I'm feeling: Doing good! Trying to continue to work out, but its certainly not easy, especially with all of the travel! I am starting to get a little more uncomfortable sitting, mostly because her feet stick up like crazy into my ribs.
Fetal movement: Still feeling lots of jabs and kicks. Now, she likes to stick out her little feet/elbows/knees and leave them out, which is quite funny to feel.
Weight gain so far: 20 lbs
Belly size @ 30 weeks: 36 inches around!
Wearing my weddings rings: Yep.
What I'm most excited for today: To see how she moves once she's born. I have become so used to some of her movements in my belly, and I can only really guess what she's doing half the time. I'm excited to see how she moves, twitches, kicks, hiccups on the outside. Sounds a little silly, I know!
What I'm most afraid of today: The first couple of weeks after the birth. I know they will be VERY challenging, so I'm just hoping Scott and I can hack it.
Cravings: None really as of late, but anything sweet is always ok by me.
Stretchmarks: Not yet.
Favorite moment of the week: Sorting thru all of the clothes from the shower and from my sister and organizing them. She is gonna look so stinking cute on a regular basis :)
Anything make you sick: Not really- felt a little queezy on my flight home yesterday, but thats about it!
Miss anything: BEER!!

This pic is from 30 weeks... Sorry!