Baby Girl Update - 39 weeks

It’s been a stressful week in the Bloomer household, but we are closer to meeting our baby girl!  When the doctor checked me on week 36 and 37, I wasn’t having too much progress.  I had Jack at 37.5 weeks and hadn’t had too much progress previously so it didn’t bother me too much, but the Dr. also couldn’t feel the head.  She ordered an ultrasound for my 38 week appointment, which was this past Tuesday.

I honestly put it out of my mind and felt like she wasn’t breech.  Wouldn’t I know?  My stomach was weird shaped when I would get Braxton Hicks but was similar to where Jack’s bottom was sticking out at the top in my previous pregnancy.  I also felt hiccups down low in my stomach so I felt confident her head was there. 

Well, I was wrong! 

Right when the sonographer put the wand down on the top, right part of my stomach there was a very obvious head.  I pretty much freaked out in the ultrasound and meanwhile she also asked me a weird question about my uterus and got very quiet which scared me.  Turns out I have a bicornuate uterus, which means it is similar to a heart shape.  I’ve googled it a little bit but haven’t let me myself get carried away because the internet is a scary place!  Due to the shape of my uterus I am a contraindication for any kind of inversion & due to her size at this point, they said it is very rare she’d flip.

So…the couple of days of crying & emotion took over.  I always imagined it would be the same as it was with Jack.  I had prepared myself that the actual labor & birth might be different but never pictured having a c-section!  This is completely new.  I am truly grateful that I was able to experience the birth I had with Jack.  For the entire day I thought of all the negatives and things I will miss.  I did not feel like I should be choosing my little girl’s birthday and was worried of course with the recovery, not being able to pick up Jack, and everything else that comes along with a major surgery.  It also took a lot of the anticipation out of it because I was no longer sitting around waiting to go into labor or for my water to break, but instead know that my body is not progressing since there is no head putting pressure on my cervix.  I am trying to stay positive and of course keep the focus on the beautiful baby girl that will be here soon. 

Lots of prayers have been said continually and all prayers are greatly appreciated for her arrival, her health, my health, our family, and especially Jack.  I have never been worried about him with this baby's arrival, but he definitely knows something is going on with me being so emotional this week and he has been extra clingy.  One of the hardest parts of accepting this C-section has been that it breaks my heart that I won't be able to love on him like normal & pick him up and give him a big hug...it will just have to be different.

I know that this is all part of His plan and I will continue to look to Him this week.  We are so excited to meet our baby (still unnamed) girl so soon!

Getting ready for baby girl's arrival...

I feel like it's a bit of the calm before the baby...

 

Although, it hasn't been too calm!  Within the last week I feel like everything is starting to come together.  Baby clothes have been washed, baby equipment has been pulled from the attic, the nursery is actually starting to look like a nursery, and my "hospital" packing is starting to pile up. 

 

This is a picture of the nursery a week ago.  We converted our guest room/Tyler's office into the nursery.  He was using the closet in the nursery for all his clothes so we had to switch closets which was a huge mess!  I'm happy to report that it no longer looks ANYTHING like this and feels and looks like a baby's nursery.  I'm still putting finishing touches on it, but I love to go and sit in her room (and Jack loves to play in it).

One thing that has not been marked off of our list is a name.  That is TBD.  Oh, how I hope this child has a name before she is born!  PLUS I really want to start with the monogramming!

 

I'm 37 weeks and feeling huge & hot.

 

I am truly enjoying and soaking up every moment with my baby boy.  Whether it be weekly trips to the pool or a frozen yogurt date (ok...he won't even eat the yogurt but I do!) we have been having fun.  I'm loving my cuddles and I know they might not be quite as often in the future.  He loves to hang out with me in the nursery & ask what the bassinet & crib & swing & all the new things he's seeing are.  He also hasn't commented at all on my big belly or weight gain so who wouldn't love that?

 

 

We still have things to do, but I am feeling confident that when this baby girl comes to join our family we will be ready!

4th of july

Jack and I had a relaxing 4th of July and holiday weekend around Nashville.  It rained A LOT, though!

 

As of July 1st, Tyler is officially a 2nd year resident (goodbye intern year...woohoo).   He is currently working on a very time consuming rotation and we are missing him lots.  He worked on the 4th of July, but Jack and I headed over to the Schot's house to celebrate.  As always, Jack had so much fun with Hudson and made himself right at home with all of his toys & train table.

 

 

 

Tyler was able to stop by, grab a quick dinner, and watch a few fireworks outside with us before he headed home to sleep before his 4am alarm clock.  This is when we learned that Jack is NOT a fan of fireworks...terrified would be the correct word and that was of the fireworks that neighbors were shooting off!  You can only imagine what happened when the guys shot some big ones off in the backyard and he even felt this way about sparklers.  I know I say this a lot, but that boy is a lot like his mamma.  I remember always being scared of fireworks as a kid.

I can't believe this was Jack's 3rd 4th of July.  Love to look back at his first at the lakehouse when he was a little 6 week old.

 

Nashville - 1 Year

As of yesterday, June 18, we have officially been Nashville residents for 1 year. 

We knew moving so far away from family and friends would be challenging, but we also knew it would be a good experience for our family of three and obviously a true blessing for Tyler's career.

Tyler is almost done with his intern year (woohoo) and loves Vanderbilt.  With that said, he works so hard and it is full of challenging times.  It is full of early mornings, late nights, all nighters, studying, and constantly being exhausted with usually only 1 day off a week.   If he is going to be challenged and a workaholic, Vanderbilt has been the best place for it.

This also marks the one year mark of my unemployment.  I miss Astellas, the people, and the financial income, but I can honestly say I don't miss working.  I feel blessed in a way to have worked half of Jack's life and been home with him the other half.  I can appreciate both the working moms and stay at home moms and see the challenges and rewards of both.  I truly appreciate being able to devote my time and energy entirely to my family and let's be honest...making sure Tyler is fed and taken care of can often feel like having a 2nd child :)  I mean that in the best way possible, but he does work such long hours & long weeks and I am able to help him with all the other stuff in life so he can concentrate on being the best physician possible.

Since we have been in Nashville, we have grown as a family and made many new friends.  We came to a town not knowing anyone and are now surrounded by great friends and co-workers.  Jack is attending a great day school for MDO and we have made a church home that has brought us closer to God and centered our family around Christ. 

Jack & I have made great friends that we love to see each week.  This has been a true blessing and I know that when Baby Girl comes into this world I have a support system around me when I need it. 

We love our house and it has been perfect for us.  As I've said previously, Jack & Jake love running around the yard & playing on the deck.  We love the area of Nashville we ended up in and our neighbors.  The commute to/from Vanderbilt and proximity to both Green Hills & Brentwood/Franklin have worked out perfectly.  Jack took his first steps in this house & we have hosted our first family Thanksgiving & birthday party here this year. 

 

Nashville has been such a family friendly town with great entertainment, people, restaurants, & so much to offer.  It has also been fun to live in a city with four seasons and watch as everything changes, including our yard. 

Summer 2012

Fall 2012

Winter 2012

Spring 2013

That said, we definitely do miss Texas.  On the top of our list is obviously family & friends.  You can also find us talking about missing being close to the ranch & lakehouse, TX country music, the Hill Country & Austin, and definitely the food!  I'm pretty sure Tyler would do anything to eat Whataburger, Campisi's, Country Burger, or Dickey's on a bad day.  And obviously we miss Mexican food, but Nashville has a couple of places to try and hold us over a bit until we get home. 

Of course there are challenges & hard times.  We have our stressful moments and these moments have brought us closer together but we are prepared for more ahead, including raising two children & facing financial challenges on a resident's salary while repaying loans & I am not working.  It is hard to not have family right around the corner & we are sad every time we have to miss a friend's wedding, shower, birthday, or big event. There are times Tyler needs a break and so wishes he could get a small taste of Texas to give him that break, whether it be a meal, hunting at the ranch, or fishing at the lake.

 

We have been so lucky that family has come to visit often and that our parents are good at road trips!

I went back and looked at a few pictures of move in and it's crazy how much this little boy has changed, too.  Here's one of his first rides in the swing (something he still does almost daily) & helping us with the tools as we unpacked & got settled.

 

We're not sure how long we'll be here but we are looking forward to either 2 or 5 or more years in Nashville & making many more memories & friends along the way!

Beach Trip - Florida!

The day after Jack's birthday, my parents, Jack, & I packed up and headed to the beach!

 

We missed Tyler while he was working and wished he could have joined us. 

It was truly like a little babymoon for me and Jack had so much fun exploring the beach and swimming in the pool. 

 

We stayed at the same hotel that my family grew up going to as a family of 4.  It was great to be able to experience it again as a parent and was so easy to get on/off the beach/pool and to our room when we needed to.

 

Jack has been a pro at road tripping lately and luckily he also had my mom in the back to entertain him.  He slept for about an hour and a half and we stopped a few times for this preggo to get out, stretch my legs, & use the restroom.  One plus of leaving TN...Whataburger.  We miss it in TN but Jack and I were able to indulge in Birmingham (and made dad very jealous).

We got into Sandestin about 6:30 and headed across to Baytowne Wharf for dinner.  This was a great area that we hadn't been to before & we had fun exploring all the restaurants, shops, & activities. 
As and added bonus Jack got to ride the carousel in a racecar after dinner.

  

The next morning it was beach/pool time.  Jack's least favorite time of the day was sunscreen time.  Does any child like sunscreen?  We covered him in the hotel room & were constantly re-applying.  Also, as you can tell we kept him very well covered & luckily he liked to wear his silly sun hat. 

(Random note for parents - We had great luck with this stick when reapplying while we were out playing)

I was interested to see how Jack reacted to the sand since in Charleston he was pretty moody about it at times.  He was cautious at first and just had to figure it out, but soon enough was playing away.  Shortly after my dad took him for a walk on the beach, he pulled my cover up out of our bag & started using it as a blankie.  He cuddled up with it and acted like he wanted to go to sleep.  It was barely even 11:00am!  He normally will NEVER sleep before 1:00pm.  But low and behold, he fell asleep right there and took a 2 hour nap on the beach!

After Jack woke up it was lunchtime at the grill by the pool & then pool time!  He hadn't been in a pool in over a year so I was interested to see how he would do.  Luckily, he loved it and was even happy to wear his puddle jumper in the big pool!

 That night we headed to dinner at one of our faves from back in the day, The Back Porch.  All I really remember about The Back Porch was always waiting for a table, but after a quick 10 minute wait we had a delicious dinner on the beach.

After dinner, we explored Destin to see how much it's changed & grabbed a key lime pie & breakfast for the next morning at The Donut Hole...yum.  We also stopped by The Track for Jack to ride the kids train, which of course, he loved.  He almost looked scared while he was riding it but he was truly mesmerized the entire time.

Sleeping in a hotel was interesting when we went to Charleston so I was anxious to see how Jack would do.  We were in a large suite where Jack's pack 'n play was able to be further away from everything.  He would fall asleep in the big bed and we were able to easily transfer him and continue about our night.  No tears at bedtime this trip since he was so tired!

 

Sidenote:  This is where I slept!  Oh how I remember fighting with Layne on who got to sleep on the top bunk back in the day.  Since I'm pregnant, I couldn't even imagine climbing onto the top bunk now-a-days!

Here's a throw back pic of me sleeping on the bottom bunk back in the day.

 

Enjoying donuts for breakfast before beach time.

 

Jack enjoyed playing in the sand and ordering my dad & I to get him "more" water in the bucket, but he was not interested in playing in the ocean.  He definitely liked to stick close to home & when we would take him in the water, he'd just point at the shore.

 

He took another nap on the beach during day 2. This time even earlier than the day before!

That night we headed to Seaside to explore & get dinner.  Again, this was a new area to us and we loved it.  It's so beautiful and we ate some delicious steamed shrimp on the beach with a gorgeous sunset. 

We started out day 3 at the pool & tried to save the beach for the afternoon so he would nap later, but the action on the beach in the afternoon proved to be too much & he ended up napping in the room.  He still had lots of fun swimming & playing on the beach before naptime, though!

 

A big crab wondered our way and Jack thought it was soooo funny.

 

Our last night we ate another delicious meal at Pompano Joe's.  Jack loved watching the volleyball game going on at the beach while we ate and we were able to get a few family photos before dinner (like every 2 year, old it is SO hard to get jack to pose for pictures now!  He does not want to sit still but has mastered the art of "cheese" every once in a while). 

Since it was our last night, we took Jack back to the train for one more joyride.

 

 While we were packing up the last morning, Jack moved his train track & trains to the patio & when we had to put them away for the car ride home he had a major meltdown. 

This boy had a blast & did not want to leave the beach!

 

Jack and I were so lucky to spend this vacation with my parents.  We are truly so thankful!  My parents love taking care of Jack and it was a true vacation for me with them watching over & playing with him a lot of the time, while I read a book on the beach which I probably won't be doing for a very long time in the future with 2 kids :) It was definitely not lost on me the greatness of this trip and how lucky we are. 

Thank you and we love you so much!

 

I asked my parents to dig up a few pictures from our family vacations to Sandestin.  My first trip there was 1986 so I was 3!  I found a few comparisons with the pictures from this vacation of Jack and they make me very happy!