End of pregnancy only a few months late :)

So it's June and I've had a baby for about 3 months now :) although my blog world wouldn't know it because I went MIA around mid February! Let me recap the end of pregnancy, and birth will follow in it's own post.

Around 32 weeks I started to swell pretty significantly. I seemed to be following in my moms footsteps as she got fairly swollen both of her pregnancies as well, although not as early as I did. My BP started to creep up around the 32 week mark as well, so I monitored it closely at home as well as at my biweekly visits at that point. Mark was still traveling quite a bit being based in Newark, NJ still. I started to get pretty worried about him actually being home or close enough to home come birth time! Many many hours were spent strategizing with  him, my "backups", and in my head about all the different scenarios that could play out!

Luke's nursery was pretty much complete around 34 weeks, and we were just buying the last odds and ends we needed, like pack n play and a few smaller items. I actually had everything pretty much completed around that time, so I started re-washing previously washed baby clothes just to keep busy! Bags were packed, plans were made, work had started to wind down with my replacement taking over. Around 34 weeks I started feeling pretty uncomfortable daily, sleeping was non existent, and I was pretty crabby most of the time! I felt like Luke was HUGE and every movement started to hurt! I would get frustrated and want him to stop moving, but in the same breath WISH he was moving so I knew he was alright! :)

Mark got his schedule for the month of March, it had him off the week before I was due, and going back to work a day or two before my due date. We had decided that if I hadn't given birth by my due date he definitely wasn't going back to work! It wasn't worth the high possibility that he would miss it at that point! My swelling was still getting worse and my BP was kind of all over the map. I hadn't tested + for any proteins yet to indicate pre-e, but I was watching myself pretty closely mainly due to my severe swelling. I had to buy special support hose from a store filled with elderly people getting fitted for them as well! They helped, but were incredibly uncomfortable and ridiculously hard to get on with a giant belly!

Lovely swollen feet with trendy support hose! 

36 weeks came and I decided to just start working from home mostly. I was getting exhausted just walking short distances, and driving was uncomfortable due to the lack of room. We had my 36 week appointment which had an US to see Luke's position and size, that was so exciting! We got to see a profile shot in 3D and see his face! I seriously melted... he was so adorable! From the looks of the US he seemed to look like me with chubby cheeks! He was estimated at around 6 1/2 lbs, so if he was full term it seemed he could be 8 lbs or larger! That freaked me out a bit! My brother was almost 9 lbs though so I knew it wasn't out of the question. Everything on the US looked great, he was in position, and I learned I was dilated to 1cm! I was pretty excited about that 1cm... even though from all my reading I knew it really didn't mean much.

37 weeks and looking huge! 

37 weeks didn't come with much change, I went to my weekly appointment, same swelling issues and elevated BP. My OB didn't seem to concerned at the time though. Same with 38 weeks, I was waddling around, panicking about Mark being home for the birth, and just trying to pass the time! I was 38 weeks on a Saturday, and I actually never made it to my weekly 38 week appointment which was scheduled for that coming Wednesday, because Luke decided it was time for his arrival!

around 38 weeks 

I got my hair done right at 38 weeks to last through maternity leave, smart decision! 

It was a very chaotic and crazy arrival he made into this world. Birth story coming up!

Baby gear!

It's getting closer! Time is flying and reality is hitting this little boy will join us  in the real world soon! We've had our stroller and car seats sitting in the boxes for weeks now, and I kept getting excited to get them out, and then I would get too tired... note to self, try to do all baby stuff in second trimester!!! We did finally go out to the garage and get it all out though, and here is the setup!

My mom got us our BOB stroller and Mark's mom got us the car seat. I love it! The BOB is so far to push around, it's a smooth ride and I can't wait to take Luke on walks when he is here!

We also finally finished the nursery, and once I take some pictures this week I'll dedicate a post to Luke's nursery! 

The rest of pregnancy...

So I left off at 18 weeks pregnant, man that feels like FOREVER ago! The second trimester was a breeze! I felt really good almost daily, enjoyed Luke moving around more often each day, and feeling good over all. We had another ultrasound at 20 weeks at my doctor to look at all of the anatomy and everything checked out well! I haven't seen him since 20 weeks and I can't wait to see what he looks like! Since then I've been going to the doctor monthly, until 28 weeks when I started going bi-weekly. NOW, in 2 weeks I'll already be going weekly to check for labor progress! We also get a final ultrasound in 2 weeks to measure his current size.

The third trimester kind of caught me off guard, it started with a few bad feeling days here and there. The return of first trimester exhaustion, and occasional nausea. At about 32 weeks things really took a turn and I live in a state of no sleep/bad feeling/exhaustion. I do have some good days, normally days where I just sit at home all day, I feel great! It's when I go into work, or am busy doing things I feel pretty terrible. My worst symptom so far now though is (what I consider) extreme swelling in my legs and feet! at 32 weeks it hit me like a ton of bricks, I woke up one morning and lost my ankles! My calves soon followed after, and now my feet are toast. I've had to go up a shoe size but only can fit comfortable into flip flops. Keeping my feet up doesn't do much to help, so I've resigned to the fact that this is the way it is until after delivery... Luke is SO worth it though! I'm hoping to just coast until delivery day, without adding any more major symptoms to the list (high five for my awesome blood pressure thus far!)

 I haven't been great about remembering to take belly pics each week, here are the weeks I remembered!

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

Week 29

Week 31

Week 34

Week 33

Showered with Love

A little over a month ago, I was blessed with a wonderful baby shower thrown by my BFF and my moms BFF! Ashley and Malinn threw me (and Luke) and incredible shower, it was such a fun day! There was a great turn out of friends and family, and we all had so much fun visiting and I had fun opening up all the goodies everyone brought for baby Luke and I!

Last few months- a review

So, I realize I've completely neglected my blog over the last few months, shame on me. I seem to blog in cycles, then life gets crazy. Over the last few months a lot has changed for both Mark and I! I continue to grow, 34+ weeks pregnant now, 5 weeks 5 days to go! Everything pregnancy wise has gone generally well, we're blessed thus far with a healthy little guy and can't wait to meet him soon! This late in the pregnancy I've started to just not feel well, I'll recap my pregnancy woes in another post :)

Changes:
Mark got a new job! That's right, I'm officially an United Pilots wife! Working for United (Continental) was always Mark's dream since he was a little boy, and now he has officially achieved it! I am SO proud of him, my heart is just overflowing with pride! He started back in November, and completed training at the end of January. He returned home from his first flying trip today! He's loving every minute of it! The change couldn't have come at a better time for us, with him being able to complete training before Luke arrives, and just better job stability being with United. Here is a picture of my hot man leaving for work!

Secondly, we moved! Moving is so hard, and we are SO done moving until we buy our dream house, we hope... We decided after much debating and frustration that our current living situation just wasn't cutting it. We had been serving as missionaries for an apartment ministry for about 6 months, and things just weren't happening like we were told they would. We had horrible neighbors, and couldn't even function due to all the chaos and noise around us. We (along with the help from my amazing dad Skip) were able to get out of our lease/contract and found the perfect place for us to call home for now! It's in the subdivision we want to buy in, and it's a town home rather then an apartment. We love it so much, it feels like home! Can't wait to bring our baby home there! 

So, now things are finally settling down, the calm before the storm of childbirth and parenting :) We're so excited!!! 

18 Weeks

SO! 18 Weeks have FLOWN by, and my little man is the size of a mango and already .5 lbs! I seriously can't believe how fast time is going now. It seemed like the first 12 weeks when we weren't telling anyone was so slow, and now it's in super speed. Thank the Lord I've still been feeling really great, just getting bigger by the day it seems.

The snoogle seemed to have cured my insomnia, which is amazing. Now my battle is my hubs stealing the snoogle from me! Maybe I should get him one for Christmas :). 2 days ago I had a scare where I thought I was getting a "pregnancy bunion"... not sure why I put that in quotes but pregnancy induced bunion sounded weird... I started having foot pain (which I have learned is quite common in pregnancy even as early as 16 weeks when I started having it!) near where you would have a bunion 2 days ago, and freaked out! Bunions don't go away on their own and I'm only 27, how could I already have one! Well, after googling (don't do this, bunion pictures are gross) and talking with my mom about it, we decided it was maybe just inflamed from the shoes I wore Monday and thankfully it feels much better today!!!

18 weeks

Luke is much move active lately, or at least I can feel him a lot more now. I feel him throughout the day thumping around, but mainly when I lay down on the couch at night he starts to really roll around! I'm not sure if it's kicking, or him completely changing positions, it feels like he is doing flips! Mark has felt him a couple of times, which is so exciting! Most of the time I go to see if I can feel him from the outside and he stops! Stinker!

We carved a pumpkin Sunday with little mans name! Cute huh!

What's in a name?

So our little man has a name...

Luke William Segaloff

I've always loved the name Luke, and knew I'd love for my first little boy to be Luke. When Mark and I first talked baby names, he agreed he loved Luke too, and if we had a boy he already had a name! It was seriously that easy!

Luke: Latin meaning is light giving

I know this little guy is going to be the light of our lives, he really already is! and I hope we can raise him to be a light of Christ to those that surround him!

William: Honoring Mark's dad who passed when Mark was very young, and my grandfather who passed in 2010. Both Williams were wonderful men, and this little guy is going to grow up hearing how amazing they were!

We love to refer to him by his name now! Mark is always asking how his little Luke is doing, and has lovingly nicknamed him L-dub :)