32 weeks down, 8 more to go

I am 32 weeks pregnant today, and supposed to be at my baby shower at this very moment but sadly am not. The lovely, spastic weather of Missouri has postponed it to April 18th. Who would've thought there would be a snow storm at the end of March?! It might just be a good thing though. Yesterday I was struggling with a pain in ribs on the left side that I get often. I originally thought this pressure type pain was due to the ill fitting bra I had, but after finally getting a good, supportive bra and still hurting, I wasn't sure what to think. I really didn't think it was Chloe pushing on my ribs because it didn't feel like does when she presses on anything else. It would just hurt when I sat hunched over or curled up on that side for too long, or sometimes when I laid on that side. All I had to do was either change positions or sit with my back supported for awhile or even massaging it a little would relieve it. Yesterday, on the other hand, the dull, pressure type pain gradually turned into a sharp, intense pain that I couldn't get to go away. It would hurt sitting up, laying down, even standing up. Massaging it didn't work anymore and it actually it started to hurt to touch. Later that night, I did some research online and I now think that the dull pain I felt before was Chloe and she put on so much pressure that she actually bruised my rib. Sleeping was difficult last night, but I woke up this morning in a lot less pain. I gradually am feeling more and more sore as the day goes by though, so we'll see how I feel tonight. I don't know for sure if she really did bruise my rib or not, I'm gonna talk to my doctor when I go in about a week, but I don't know what else could've caused that much pain no matter what I did.

Well, besides possibly bruising my rib, Chloe has been busy growing like a weed. She's almost 4 lbs now, and will continue to gain 1/3-1/2 her birth weight between now the next 7 weeks! She has fingernails, toenails, and hair (or peach fuzz). I'm really excited and relieved to have made it to this week. Baby's born at 32+ weeks have a much, much greater chance of survival than if born any earlier.

Sorry to ramble and complain about my aches and pains. You'll only have deal for a few more weeks... hopefully.

Maternity photos

Here are a few maternity photos Kris took. Enjoy!

Getting closer...

I am 31 weeks pregnant, feeling pretty huge, getting more uncomfortable, and believe I'm being prepared by God for the lack of sleep in my near future.

Chloe is, depending on which book I read, between about 16-18 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. I think she's starting to make her way lower into my pelvis. The past couple days I've been able to feel her pushing on my right hip. I'm not too fond of that. She's still rolling around like crazy. Last night I actually tried to get her to fall asleep because she was rolling around so much and it was getting so uncomfortable. She seems to like music a lot so I tried using that, but all it really did was calm her down a little, which was good enough for me. My phone has an mp3 player on it and I've got a playlist set up for her with songs that I really like and think would be calming. I think the version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow Jason Castro did on American Idol is her favorite.

My baby shower is this weekend! I'm sooo excited! It's gonna be so fun to be around a bunch of girls celebrating the upcoming birth of my baby girl, and pretty much all know what I'm going through and how I feel.

week number 30...

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now and still growing what seems like to me every hour (which I'm sure will continue until she's here). Chloe is over 15 inches long now and about 3 lbs.! That makes me smile every time I think about it! Her eyesight is developing more, but even after she's born it'll still be only about 20/400. Poor thing. We're expecting her to need glasses sometime or another in her lifetime just because of how bad both mine and Kris' eyes are.

Chloe and I had lots of fun at Mam maw and Pap paw's house this weekend. Chloe had her "first experience" at their little makeshift shooting range. haha I thought I'd be able to feel her jumping around like crazy with every shot, but it didn't seem to even phase her. She even stayed still enough for me to shoot a little. I can just see her now, all grown up and shooting guns with her Papi and Uncle Jr. It's in her blood to be a pretty good shot ;-). While we had lots of fun, we both still missed daddy back at home. I had a hard time sleeping with him not being there, being in a different bed, and a cold I've been trying to get over for the last several days. The car ride down there and back went better than I thought it would though, so that's good.
Today I talked to the family I nanny for and my official last day of work is going to be May 1st. We ask you to continue to pray for us and our peace of mind. God is in control, and we know He'll make sure we're alright.

29 weeks

This week Chloe is about 2 1/2 pounds and 15 inches long from head to toe. I have a doctor's appointment next week and then after that I start going in every 2 weeks! Less than 3 months to go!

Chloe gets a little more active every day, at least it feels that way, and I think she's gonna be daddy's girl. We were over at my parent's the other day and my mom kept trying to feel her kick, but as soon she would put her hand on belly, Chloe would stop moving every single time. But every time Kris puts his hand on my belly, she'll move and kick for him. So she knows her daddy. My mom eventually felt her kick, but she had to put her hand on my belly at the same time as Kris to do so.

Chloe is going on her first road trip this weekend... sort of. I'm going out of town with my dad and brother to my grandparent's down in Silva , MO this weekend. I'm getting kinda nervous because it'll be the first time Kris and I have spent a night apart since we've been married, but I know Chloe and I will have fun with her Papi, Uncle Jr., Mam maw, Pap paw, and Grandma Starr.

3rd Trimester

I made it! I'm finally in my 3rd trimester! I don't really feel any different then I did towards the end of my 2nd, just bigger, but still. Just knowing that I'm in the home stretch is comforting.

Ok, here's the month 7 belly shot...

On a more serious note, some of you may know that I'm a nanny. Well, when I told my employers I was expecting, a few weeks later they came to me with the news that after I had the baby I wouldn't be needed anymore. This, in turn, will make things more difficult for us financially when Chloe is born. We know that our awesome God will provide everything we need, right when we need it, but the unknown can still be quite stressful. So Kris and I are asking for your prayers for peace of mind and that we'll see the direction God is telling us to go in.

Thank you and God bless,

Kris, Layna, and Chloe