6 Month Update

Here is the jogging stroller that we recently bought.

Here is Peyton's new swimsuit and hat for our trip to Hawaii in August!

I know everyone says this, but really I can hardly believe I am already 6 months pregnant! This means we get to meet our little girl in about 3 1/2 months. This pregnancy really has gone pretty quick.

I had my 6 month check-up with the Providence Midwives (Gretchen) last week. I have been feeling great for the most part. The only complaints I had was that I was sleeping not so great. I kept waking up every 1-2 hours which is really bizarre for me. I had been reading in books that you are not supposed to sleep on your back after about 16 weeks. Since I am naturally a back sleeper, I kept being paranoid that I was going to wake up on my back, hence me waking up every 1-2 hours. Gretchen told me that I don't need to worry about waking up on my back. She said the main reason its not great to sleep on your back is because the extra weight from the baby can potentially compress your Vena Cava and disrupt blood flow. She said if I was on my back and this were to happen, my body would naturally respond by either waking up a little dizzy, or just moving to a different position. She said I could try sleeping with a small pillow under one of my hips to tilt my body a little bit. Good! Sleeping issue solved. That in combination with the fact that we desperately need a new mattress (ours squeaks every time you move at all) was the reason for sleeping funny. Needless to say, we are in the market for a new mattress as well. The other thing I wanted to bring up with her was that I had 2 long, physical days at work and noticed towards the end of the day that my belly was crampy. After laying or sitting down for a bit and taking a break though, it went away. She said this is normal when doing too much physical work, and that as long as it goes away after I rest a bit, no need to worry. I have walked around Greenlake a few times as well and noticed that towards the end of the walk, I get a little crampy as well. Must be a result of physical activity again.

The other things we went over at my appointment were:

• I have gained a total of 15 lbs!! That is good news, and Gretchen said its right on track. She said typically you gain about 1lb per week, and I am not gaining that much, but close enough to be healthy.



• Gretchen measured my belly with a tape measure and said I was measuring right on track



• Peyton's heartbeat was strong as usual, and always fun to hear (I think this is John's favorite part!).



• We discussed that at the next appointment I will do my Glucose screening for Gestational Diabetes.



• Gretchen re-tested my Thyroid just to make sure all is well. She said if there was any concern with the lab results, she would call me the next day and I did NOT receive a call from her, so I am assuming all is well with the Thyroid.

My next appointment will be at about 7 months and with one of the other midwives in the office. We decided to meet with the other midwives so that we can start meeting them all, as we won't know until delivery day which one will actually deliver Peyton. My appointment is with Ira, who is the only man midwife in the office.

People are always asking how I am feeling, and to be honest I can't complain really at all about being pregnant. I feel, for the most part totally normal and like I always feel. I don't' want to jinx myself, but its been great so far being pregnant. I can only hope that it continues this way!

The nursery is still a work in progress. John has been working hard on the dresser, and I did a test letter for Peyton's letters that will hang above her crib and love how it turned out. We took the glider cushions to Debbie along with some fabric we picked out and she is working away on that. Can't wait to see it!

It is AH-MAZING how many clothes that Peyton already has. Between what Katie gave us and what John's co-worker Lisa gave us, I truly believe Peyton is set for clothes up to about 12 months. My mom and I also came across a great sale a couple weeks ago and gymboree where all their summer outfits were either $3.99 or $6.99 and we must have bought 15 of them! She will be all ready for Hawaii this August. I have washed and organized all by size and am just waiting for the dresser to be done to put them away. We feel completely blessed to have been given all these nice clothes and can't wait to put her in them all!

Yesterday we bought a jogging stroller (pic above), which I am stoked about. I can't wait to get out there and start running again after she is born. I can't say I ever had the itch to run as badly as I do right now!

We also recently set up a registry on Amazon.com. I used the book "Baby Bargains" that John got me for Christmas along with reviews online to make our decisions about what to register for. That book was a lifesaver!! I can't wait to pass it along to Anna and Colin when they get pregnant.

Peyton is still moving alot, especially when I sit still or lay down. The other night I felt her roll for the first time, which was really interesting. John likes to put his hand on my tummy when we lay down for bed and feel her move all over and kick, kick, kick!

That's it for now. Check back soon for a new belly pic!