32 weeks!

Miss Ellison: is about the size of a jicama, or 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches.  On a side note, do you like jicama?  I love it!  Just peeled with a little salt.  Mmm.  But they're not the easiest things to find.  Maybe someday when I have a garden.  Where was I?  Oh yes, Ellie is helping me gain about a pound a week now and she also has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (well, not if she's anything like her brother).
The appointment: Yesterday, we had our 32 week appointment with Kathy, who I haven't seen this whole pregnancy.  I remember liking her with Owen.  Not so much after yesterday.  Be warned, this section could be long.  Started off great.  Ellison is head down where she will hopefully stay, heartbeat was 156, and my stomach is measuring right at 32 weeks as it should be.  I had no major questions, except the one I bring up at every appointment.  "So, any idea if I'll be on the 4th floor or 10th floor?  No biggie, I'd just like to know."  I've asked this before, yes?  I vaguely remember posting about this question after every single appointment I've had. 

But today, Kathy very sternly pointed out that in my file it says that after having Owen and all the heart issues, I was to have a 3 month follow up with Dr. Mongwa, my cardiologist.  What?!  Why has no one ever told me this?  When I called for my follow up echo results, no one from cardiology ever told me to come back in 3 months.  Nor was anything mentioned at my 6 week post-baby check up.  But then Kathy proceeded to tell me that if I didn't have this follow up, they might not be able to ok me doing a water birth.  Let's just say at this point, I'm thankful they took my blood pressure already because it's sky rocketing.  She couldn't really tell me why no one had mentioned this.  She said to just call that day and get an appointment.


So I called cardiology and sounded like a fool because I don't really know what I need done.  A follow up echo?  Maybe.  And meeting with Dr. Mongwa who has no idea who I am and saw me for maybe 5 minutes after Owen was born.  Sure, they can get me into him in May.  *insert me almost crying*  After some begging and multiple phone calls later, I have an appointment with him on March 23.  It's only a consult, so who knows what he'll say or what kinds of tests he'll want to run and if they can even be done before Ellie decides to come.  Just pray with me that this will all get sorted out, and we can proceed with the plan of an drug free water birth, with NO iv stuck in my hand for 3 days, and my baby with me in my room and not on a different floor.

Owen did so great through this appointment.  I brought him with because I thought it'd be a short one.  Haha.  But he read his books, played with his cars, and checked out everything in the room.  His reward (and mine) was going through the Starbucks drive through on the way home and getting his first ever chocolate milk.  The boy was in heaven.  Thanks Melissa for the giftcard!

How I'm feeling: well, if you don't count how I was feeling after yesterday's appointment, pretty good!  Definitely getting harder to carry Owen up and down the stairs and I'm having a hard time getting a full breath.  Emotionally, I just can't figure out why I can't settle on some things for her nursery. I'm driving myself crazy! :)

Movement:  She's moving similarly to Owen.  I get jabs constantly on the right side, but I wouldn't say she's a super active mover.  After my morning coffee and when I chug some water or change positions lying down.  Maybe she'll be mellow like Owen?

Baby projects:  Owen's big boy furniture is finally on the way which means we can make some progress on their rooms!  I also ordered a wall stencil for El's room.  Don't worry, not the kind of stencil you first think of, just a super cool one for the wall behind her crib.  I also finished my first crocheted project, a little hat for one of her potential coming home outfits.  This is quite a feat for me since crochet and knit are quite different.  But there are so many cute flowers to make with crochet, so I thought, why not teach myself a new hobby?

Books I'm reading: Finally picking up some birth books and also re-reading some books on women in (church) leadership.  Much more about this in a different post. 
And Some Pictures:

This one makes me look good.  I must have been standing up really straight or sucking in or something:

And here's me not standing up straight.  So this is the more accurate picture of what I normally look like.  Because who has good posture at 32 weeks? :)  And notice my little helper snuck in to see what I was doing.

8 more weeks.  Ahhhh, gotta get moving on some things.