Thank you both! Jenn, I love dark wood too. Our master bedroom set is the same color dark wood as is our family room furniture. I thought the contrast would go well with the light color we put on the walls as well.

And we put up the crib this past weekend and moved the bookshelf into the room. I'm in love with the Pooh bedding set we got for Christmas, the pink sheet is too adorable. I'll probably have to buy another fitted crib sheet as a back up if she messes on the Pooh sheet which is probably inevitable.

I'm so happy with how it's progressing. I'm still looking for letters that I like to spell her name over the crib which is why I left that area blank. I have more wall decals but am waiting on finding letter decals and some more stuff to hang on the walls before filling in with the rest of the remaining Pooh decals.

Picked out which baby monitor I want to buy, now I just need to shop around for the best price.

Pics:

Very cute, Val!

SO cute! You will definitely need more sheets. Usually they get messed up in the middle of the night, so I LOVED these sheet savers:

http://www.target.com/p/NoJo-Crib-Sheet-Saver/NoJo-Crushed-Fleece-Sheet-Saver-2-pK/-/A-13125920?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C13125920&CPNG=home&ci_sku=13125920&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=

Usually it's pee up the side or back that gets the sheets all wet. If you lay her middle on this pad you can just whip it off and, Voila!, clean bed and (hopefully) everyone is quickly back to sleep!

Love it!!! The room looks so cozy

I love all the stuffed huskies on top of the shelf.

I meant to reply to this when I got on a computer rather than on my phone and then completely forgot!

Thanks for the tip (and link), Lisa! I will have to see about picking some of those up. We went shopping today and picked up a second Winnie the Pooh fitted crib sheet, this one in green. And picked up a couple extra outfits for her as well.

LOL Crystal! I didn't think anyone would be able to tell those were stuffed huskies up there. My little collection.

Oh and I keep forgetting to include weight progress in my updates. As of now at 31 weeks I am 126 lbs. Over the past 2 weeks I actually lost 3 lbs somehow. But that puts me at a total weight gain of 17 lbs so far, perfect! Less than a week to go until my next appointment.

Oh Val I love the room. It looks great! I love the husky collection too

Taking advantage of some down time. Appointment this week went well. Doctor says the baby's position is still breech and that normally they would like to see the baby head down (vertex) by this point. She says that if baby is still breech by my next appt in 2 weeks they will schedule an ultrasound to verify and we'll have to start talking about methods to flip baby or schedule a cesarean if baby does not cooperate.

I asked my mom when my sister and I turned head down and stayed that way during her pregnancies. She tells me that I was vertex by approx 30 weeks, and my sister was vertex by approx 28 weeks and we stayed that way until delivery. I'm 32 weeks now and our little one is still breech.

For those of you who've had kids already, would you happen to know by when yours turned head down and stayed that way?

My doc says that's she's not overly concerned by she would like to see her turned down by my next appt at 34 weeks. Of course she told me not to worry but I can't help it, I'm a worry wart!

Congrats on you're pregnancy! The nursery is adorable!

Thanks Kelly. I bought some pink letters to put her name on the wall but I'm going to keep shopping around in case I find something else I like better. The room is a mess right now as all the gifts from the baby shower were dumped all over the floor when we got home. Gotta get to organizing it all...one of these days.

LOL I know what you mean! My mom and I own a daycare and there is stuff laying EVERYWHERE ALL the time!! It's a never ending mess!

This website has REALLY cute stuff!
http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com/

Here's another site for security blankets a bunch of the little girls in our care have and they are obsessed with them!! I always buy them as gifts for baby showers! They are really soft and I read celebrities even buy them for their kids!
http://www.maxdaniel.com/e-store/main.html

My daycare moms are always finding the coolest little things I've never seen before, so let me know if you need help with something!

Thanks for the links, I love shopping for baby stuff. I got a bunch of blankets at my shower though, so I think I am totally set on that. But gosh those are so lovely to look at!

I actually got on the computer just now to order some baby stuff online...but found myself getting sidetracked here.

Okay, finally going to attempt an update after the crazy past 2 days at the doctors. Sorry for the length of this update, just being thorough in case anyone has experienced this or has advice to share.

Thursday I had a concern over lack of fetal movement from Wednesday through Thursday morning and also had a concern over some bloody show on Thursday morning. Called the doctor and was advised to come in immediately. She said over the phone that everything is most likely fine but they'd rather do a check and be sure, better safe than sorry. Unfortunately the news from my visit on Thursday was not what was expected (nor what we want) and it necessitated a follow up visit on Friday as well.

The highlights of Thursday's doctor visit:

- Spent 30 minutes hooked up to a fetal monitor to record fetal heartbeat, movement, and contractions. 15 minutes on it and she said the results looked okay but not 'great'. Gave me a snack bar and can of Coke and monitored for another 15 minutes after. The latter 15 minutes showed lots of fetal movement and increased heart rate. Fetal heart rate the first 15 minutes ranged from 139-145 BPM, after the snack/Coke it ranged from 155-170. Doc says she likes Coke! lol

- She did a pelvic exam found I am 1 cm dilated already with cervical effacement (cervix has already begun thinning and changing shape for delivery). Ordered a transvaginal ultrasound to measure the cervix which confirmed her pelvic exam findings...my body is gearing up for delivery too soon. Doc says this would be expected at 36 weeks, but 33 weeks is too early.

- I am now being considered high risk for preterm labor and put on bed rest through at least 37 weeks if she doesn't come out before then (am currently 33 weeks). Doc says only reasons I should leave bed are to go to the bathroom and eat, that's it...no walking, shopping, going out, housework, nothing.

- Received a Celestone steriod shot to speed up lung development in case baby is born prematurely.

- Ran 2 urine tests


And the highlights from Friday's follow up doctor visit:

- Received a second Celestone steriod shot, again to speed up lung development.

- Thursday and Friday I had blood in my urine so they sent sample to lab for testing. Should have results next week. She said it could be infection but we'll have to see what lab results are.

- I also had glucose in urine for second time in a week and half, so they ran a blood test and my blood glucose level is 70 which they say is normal. They're not sure why I have glucose in urine since I'm not diabetic and I passed my gestational diabetes test almost a month ago.

- Did a fetal fibronectin (fFN) test which came back with a positive result. This tests for protein that typically shows up when the body is preparing for labor and delivery. A positive result indicates higher risk of preterm labor with a good chance of going into preterm labor within 1-2 weeks, we were hoping for negative result which would put me at a 95% chance of not going into labor within the next 2 weeks. Alas, they are very concerned after getting a positive fFN result and are taking every precaution and increasing the frequency of my doctor visits from here on out.

- Group B Strep test done, will have the results next week. This one tests for bacteria that can potentially infect baby during delivery; if the bacteria is present, babies born before 37 weeks are at higher risk of infection. If I test positive they will be prepared to administer antibiotics when it comes time for delivery.

- Performed another pelvic exam. No change from Thursday, still 1 cm dilated, and confirmed that baby is now head down (in the vertex position) like she should be.

- Blood pressure was fine both days and the swelling in my feet and ankles has stayed relatively mild over the past couple weeks.


Doctor says that I should have someone around to help me at home since I am not supposed to leave the bed. Hubby left town on Monday of this past week for a 3 week long business trip. So my mom is coming up this weekend and staying with me for a week until hubby gets back from his business trip to WA state. He's cutting his business trip short by a week and hopes to be back in Charleston on Monday, Feb 20th. My next appt is Tuesday, 2/14, I should have the remaining test results from yesterday and today's visits by then. Hopefully things do not progress and we've got our fingers crossed that baby Isabella stays put for a few more weeks. We'll see how things look at my next appt on Tuesday.

I am supposed to be relaxed and not stressing now more than ever but I am honestly so overwhelmed and worried that it's the most unrelaxed and stressed out I've been this entire pregnancy. I haven't got more than about 2-3 hours of sleep each night the past two nights, I have soooo much stuff to do around the house and I'm not allowed to do any of it. Not to mention the massive guilt I am feeling for having my mom come over and pretty much do everything for me. I know it's the best thing for baby and if it were my daughter in my position right now, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same for her, but it really doesn't ease the guilt in the slightest. What also doesn't help that my sibe's coat blow is in full swing and it's one of the worst blows he's had since spring 2008.

And on a lighter note, I took some pics of the baby shower loot as I was going through everything and organizing. Forgot to grab a few of the pics from the actual showers from my hubby's camera, maybe later...

For now, here's some of the great stuff we received from family and friends:













We did receive a few duplicate items so I will have to somehow find a way to exchange them...being sentenced to bed rest is not making it any easier.

I'm so sorry to hear you're restricted to bed rest for the next several weeks, but am relieved to hear your mom is there to help. I'm sure she doesn't mind, and I know you're concerned about this and that, but I'm sure your mom is still happy to help.

BTW, nice loot! Looks like you have everything for when she arrives!

I think you've already picked a name for her?

Val, I have mentioned before I had a very rough pregnancy with my son and I had very similiar thing happen to me that are happening to you. I had to be put on bed rest at 5 months and 7 months for preterm labor. By the third week of pregnancy, I was very ill. I couldn't keep down anything...it would progress to the point that I couldn't even keep down water. When it got to that point, my nurse midwife would pull me in and set me up on IV's to get me hydrated again. It was so long ago, I can't tell you what the meds were in that IV but it always worked. I can't tell you how many times in the 8 months of my 9 month pregnancy that I had to get those IV's. I was sick almost the whole pregnancy. Around my 5th month, my nurse midwife suspected something was wrong at my routine visit and she hooked me up to the monitors and found out I was having contractions, real contractions. I couldn't feel them so I had no idea I was going into labor. I immediatly got admitted into the hospital and after three days they were able to get the contractions to stop but sent me home to full bedrest for two weeks. I had it happen again at 7 months. Again I didn't feel the contractions but she had started hooking me up at every visit. This time I had started to dialate. I got put back in the hospital to stop the labor and it was succesful again. I got sent back home to more bedrest. I stayed dialated the remainder of my months and had even lost my mucus plug in the 8th month. I had Colton a week before his due date. I was going in for another routine visit and I was having contractions again...this time it was safe and she decided to go ahead admit me to the hospital and naturally enduce me. I was admited at 6pm...and had him at 9pm. My nurse midwife was afraid to send me home and let it naturallly happen becuase I still couldn't feel my contractions. When she had the nurses naturally induce me at 6pm...I didn't start to feel the contractions until the very end. Have you heard of natural enducement? People are pretty shocked when they find out how they enduced me. Anyway, my nurse midwife sent me to the hospital and thought she had time to go home for dinner before coming back in for my delivery....not the case! She had barely made it home before the hospital was telling her she had to come in right away. When they hooked me up to the monitor they were shocked to see I was in full blown labor! She had just walked though the doors of my room and I had him minutes later. I also had a blood in my urine, I think around my 4th month. I really should have kept a journal....I'm starting to forget alot of what happened. I didn't get all the testing that you did. I don't know if it was because I had a nurse midwife instead of a doctor or if back then they didn't do as much. I don't know. I was very young and honestly, I never once worried. I just knew it would all work out. My sister who is ten years older than me had very rough pregnancys as well. She almost died with her third girl and was told no more. She also could never tell she was in labor. She went to the hospital with all three girls with a "feeling" and that feeling saved her life on the last one. The middle child was a premie. Again it was soo long ago I can't rememeber how early, but she was earlier than where you are right now. I think seeing my sister go throught that, I just didn't think my pregnancy was different from the norm.

I know it's seems impossible, but you must NOT stress! I think I had good results because I never stressed. I just knew everything was going to be ok. Believe me, your mom is thrilled to be able to come to you in your time of need. This is what motherhood is all about. You are not inconviencing her, you are giving her a sense of duty by coming to help you out. My guess, she is excited to have this chance to take care of you again. Have you ever meditated? It works wonders for stress and you need to be stress free!

Oh shoot val! I would be a stressing mess as well even knowing I should not be stressing. At vleast ur mom is a few hrs drive and not a flight away. As much as we all want to think we don't need ours moms any more I think sometimes we do and I think its great she can come help you, I'm sure she does not mind at all, that's what moms are for.

Nice loot by the way! Stay in bed watch movies and rest, everything will get worked out

Val, I'm really sorry to hear this. I hope you've got some good books to read and films to watch while you're on bed rest. It's really good that your mum can come and look after you, and I am sure she is very glad that she can help.

I know it's really hard not to stress, but at least there was some good news in amongst all that - it's good that your blood pressure is okay and there wasn't a change in dilation from one day to the next. I don't mean to offend you when the overall results were not at all what you'd hoped, but sometimes it helps to focus on the small things too. I think the group B strep test is routine these days because it's surprisingly common. Fingers crossed that all the other test results come back okay.

I'm sure everyone is thinking of you and hoping that baby decides to hang on in there to make a more timely appearance.

On a different note, that's a great haul from the baby shower!

Thanks for the support ladies. And you are all right, my mom does not mind at all. She keeps reminding me that she is so happy to be able to help me right now. She got here yesterday and already has been a HUGE help. Not just with housework but also exercising and brushing my crazy sibe, she is fantastic! I love having my mom around, just wish I weren't so useless.

Claudia, yep we've picked Isabella for a girl.

Mindy, THANK YOU for taking the time to share your experience. I am hearing so many pregnancy stories from so many different people, some good, some bad. It's making me realize how out of our hands this stuff is and no amount of stress is going to change the outcome. You are right and I've been repeating what you've said to myself "everything will be okay".

I was going to ask if your mom made it in yet glad she is there now for moral and physical support and is stepping in to help with Dakota! don't feel so useless, doctors orders to stay in bed you know try to enjoy it as your going to be running crazy for the next 18+ yrs!!