December Update

Wow, I can't believe December is almost 1/2 over already and Christmas is just 9 days away... let the countdown begin! The picture above is on our Christmas card this year :) The tree in the background is our tree in our home and Jason took this picture with his camera/tripod, it turned out great!

We have been keeping busy this month shopping for Christmas gifts, baking Christmas goodies, and gathering some additional stuff for baby Taylor! I think we are good to go for baby... we are set and have everything we need... bags are packed... and we are DONE with baby classes as of last night, Whoo-Hoo! We took a childbirth class which was on Tuesday nights for 2 hours for 4 weeks, a 2 hour breastfeeding class on Monday and a 2 hour baby care class on Wednesday. Jason got to wear a 35 LB empathy belly at the childbirth class, so he got to feel (a little bit) what it feels like to bend over, tie your shoes, get up from laying down, walk around, etc. I'm so glad he had that experience :) even if it was just for 5 minutes. We really do go through a lot being pregnant, don't we girls?! It is getting harder and harder to put my shoes and socks on, go to the bathroom, get up from sitting/laying down, feel comfortable, etc. But it's all worth it in the end!!! :) :) :)

Since Thanksgiving my blood pressure has been going up and down and I've been feeling quite swollen. I now know what it means to have 'cankles' and my feet are just huge by the end of the day. I've been going to the doctor weekly for extra check-ups and this morning at my weekly appointment, I had protein in my urine. I had some additional lab tests done to check my kidneys and liver and I need to collect my urine for 24 hours to see if I have pre-eclampsia. So, I am home today on doctors orders. If I have pre-eclampsia then I will most likely deliver around 37 weeks (I will be 37 weeks on New Years Day). The good news is our baby girl is healthy and she will be just fine if I need to deliver a little early. She has been quite active in my tummy this month. She isn't a big 'kicker' but I do feel a lot of movement and stretching in there! She has the hiccups just about every day. You can watch my tummy and see her moving around in there, it's pretty cool!

My last day of work is December 23rd! Yippee!! Only 4 days left :) I will have 4 weeks off prior to my due date of January 22nd. After baby girl arrives, I will have 7 weeks off (for vaginal delivery, 9 weeks if c-section) and I will be taking 3 additional PTO weeks. Who knows when our baby girl will arrive, but with my time off... I plan on organizing the nursery, watching my favorite daytime shows (Today Show, Regis & Kelly, Rachael Ray, Oprah and Ellen) and reading books!

This weekend we are headed to Dubuque to celebrate my family's Christmas. And Jason's parents are coming to Des Moines to celebrate Christmas here with Jim & Toni. We are anxiously awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we are awaiting the birth of our own daughter too :) We wish all of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!