Introducing ...

Avery Eileen Johnson
February 27, 2011
2:12am ~ 6 lb, 8 oz ~ 19.5 inches
dark brown hair, dark blue eyes

it's a simple kind of life

so i had a very rough day emotionally yesterday ... plans to work from home to save maternity leave fell through at work and i of course took it very hard. today i woke up and decided i had to get in a better mood so i popped in season 1 of paris hilton & nicole richie's "simple life" and just wanted the whole thing. that show is hilarious and it felt so good to laugh for a few hours! i'm on day 3 of bed rest and for you who think it would be so nice to be on bed rest, it's not! i can't even drive my car, vaccuum, do laundry, nothing! i can lay on my couch or lay on my bed, but that's about it. foxxie and i were rebels and did go outside to check the mail today, but i don't even think i'm supposed to be doing that! tomorrow my mom is taking me for a non-stress test and my next appointment with Dr. Shah will be on Monday. I was always so anti-inducing but I think I am going to talk to Dr. Shah Monday about my options. Since I am officially on maternity leave, I really hope we can have baby next week! For every day I am at home alone, it's one day less to be with Baby once she comes and that is crushing me. If we can have her next week, I get 11 weeks with her which isn't bad ... but if it takes her the full 2 weeks til her due date, or even longer, I'm not going to handle that very well. Only time will tell!

Bed Rest :(

Today we got the news we have been hoping not to hear ... bed rest :(

Went to our 38 week check-up today and my blood pressure was the highest it's ever been - it started at 154 and got down to 150, so Dr. Shah sent us to Labor & Delivery to be monitored. As you know me, I took this really hard and got really upset. At Labor & Delivery I got hooked up to a monitor to check baby's heartbeat and contractions (which I was having and didn't even know it). My blood pressure was checked every 30 minutes and it did go down significantly. They did blood work and all came back normal. We were discharged about 2 1/2 hours later on a bed rest order. I will be collecting urine the next 24 hours and will now have to go in for a bi-weekly non-stress test. I am 2 cm dilated, but cervix is completely closed, so I don't want induction to even be an option right now.

I was hoping to work all the way up to my due date, but it looks like that dream is gone :( For everyday I sit at home, that is one less day I will get to be with my baby after she is born and that just kills me. While I was so scared today at the thought of having to deliver her, I am now hoping she comes on her own at the earliest possible moment because of my maternity leave situation. I am hoping to snag a laptop from work for at least a day or two this week to tie up loose ends and buy me a little more time after she is born, but we'll see!

We'll continue to update once we know more ... it looks like I will have a lot more time on my heads laying in bed...

5 Things!

Happy Friday! Since I am creeping closer to delivering this little baby, I wanted to make a "get excited" list of all of things i have been missing since July!

1. SLEEPING ON MY BACK - i realize that i will be missing out on the sleep i get right now, but i can not wait until i can stop sleeping on my side with a huge body pillow between my legs and a barrier in between nick & i!

2. MY CLOTHES - my wardrobe is getting quite limited, but i didn't think to put away all of my cute shirts and skirts that used to fit once upon a time. i know my body will definitely change after all of this, but can not wait to wear some of the things that have been taunting me all winter!

3. SUBWAY TURKEY SUBS - early on, i was told to avoid deli meat as it could be a cause of miscarriage. i have many friends who ate deli meat their entire pregnancy and they were fine, but i just decided to avoid it all together and have really been craving it lately! i think my first meal as a mom will be a 6" turkey sub on wheat! :)

4. VODKA LEMONADES - no explanation needed!

5. WEDDING RINGS - i had to retire my engagement and wedding bands about a month ago as they were starting to fit a little too snug to be comfortable. i have my "right hand ring" in its place, but my fingers are missing those sparkles and i can't wait to wear them again! :)

A watermelon?!

So I haven't done the fruit post in a while, but I thought you all would enjoy today's update ...

Your Baby: Month 9 (WATERMELON)

Baby is now considered "full term," even though due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads!

FULL TERM!

i can't believe we are FINALLY saying this, but we are officially full term at 37 weeks! although selfishly i want baby to stay in until our due date, she can really come at anytime and be totally fine! as always, here is a photo of my ever growing belly! i've been flattered this week by co-workers telling me i'm "small", and even though i couldn't feel bigger, i appreciate the comments! :)

Hospital Tour

nick & i just got back from our hospital tour. since we kinda dropped the ball on signing up for any classes, we decided this was one thing we should definitely do! jen, one of the nurses, was kind enough to show us around (who knew you were in one room to deliver the baby and then move to another?!) :) the last time i was in the maternity ward at Rockford Memorial Hospital, it was to meet my brother Shane, over 23 years ago!! in 15 minutes, we saw the delivery room, recovery room, check-in and registration - we asked what to do when we get there and where our visitors will come. the nurse said "see you back here in 3 weeks" when we left ... it's going to come very fast i think!

So blessed!

This afternoon my co-workers threw me a baby shower - we had a great lunch and lots of presents! We got the adorable clothes, books and finally got some diapers! We are officially all set and I thank all of my girls for everything today!

To make it an even better day, Nick's co-workers threw him a surprise shower today - he had no idea! They got us the cutest outfits and made sure they all said "I Love Daddy", "Daddy's Sweetie", etc ... they really made it about him which I found so adorable!

I almost had the room put together today but now the floor is once again covered with little tiny outfits but I think we officially have everything we need - except a baby! :)

countdown is on!

we are officially less than 1 month until our due date. It'll be exciting to see when baby decides to make her debut! i have started my weekly doctor appointments but have not been checked yet for any progress. baby is still very high up, so i am hoping she starts to drop soon ... my doctor said in the next week or two we should see some change. here is our 36 week shot ... as you can see, someone is getting ready to big a big sister! :)

35 week belly

35 / 35

happy 35 / 35 to me! i had never heard of this until a couple of weeks ago when i saw it on a baby blog and had to google it! today we are 35 weeks pregnant, with 35 days left to go. pretty catchy huh?! i can't believe that next MONTH we will be parents!! i had 3 friends (a current co-worker, an old co-worker and a college friend) all have their babies on sunday & monday, so the baby itch is starting to kick in! today i celebrated the 2011 blizzard by spending the day in my pajamas with nick, but if i decide to stop being lazy and get off the couch, i'll be sure to take a new weekly picture!