Thursday, December 29, 2011

Pregnancy Update: Week 34

Baby is the size of: A cantaloupe (22 inches, 5.5 lbs)
Symptoms: Same old. Same old. Everything has pretty much stayed the same except for the fact that I am beyond exhausted. I can really only be out and about for a couple of hours before I need to crash. I have also had the joy of experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. Yikes! On the plane coming home the other night my stomach was rock hard and Jonathan and I were convinced I would be delivering on the plane. Turns out is was just the air pressure. But it was crazy, having my stomach contract every 3 minutes. It gave me just a little taste of the real thing. 
Sleep: I am getting about 4 hours every night. I am starting to get very hungry in the middle of the nights. Jonathan finds it quite amusing when he wakes up to me chomping on pretzels or some other fun snack. Other than that I just lay in bed staring and doing a lot of thinking. 
Fun moment this past week: Being home was such a blessing to us. My Mom and my sister had the opportunity to go to one of my Doctors appointments with me and see Dalton. That was really special for us. He even winked at us! I have never seen him blink, so that was really cool. One thing in particular that we really enjoyed was our traditional game of Catch Phrase. Playing that game with my family has got to be the most amusing thing in this world. My belly hurt from laughing so much! Daddy just does not seem to grasp the concept that you need to speak quickly to beat the timer, though he loves to really think about what clues he is going to give. Then Kyle found a harmonica and started singing "the blues", making up songs about everyone at the table. It was quite the Christmas night!
Movement: The shifts in my stomach are beyond alien like at this point! You can see my stomach ripple and wave all at once. It's not just at a certain time of day either, it is ALL DAY long! He is such a little fighter. My Mom had her hand on my belly while we were home and he kicked it off, she told me that none of us kids EVER kicked her that hard. He sure is his Daddy's son with his soccer legs. 
What I am looking forward to this week: Our goal for this weekend is to get Dalton's room done. We started painting, but realized our Picasso skills were not where they should be so we have employed the handy dandy Brooke to help cut the edges. I think having that done will be a big weight off of our shoulders. Also, New Years Eve is already here! Last year we went out and partied like it was 2011, this year will be a little bit different. We have dinner reservations at a neat  restaurant for just the two of us. Nice and low key, just what we need. 
Reflections over this past week: Reading back on all of these pregnancy updates just goes to show me how up and down my emotions have truly been. Last week I was feeling good, this past week, not so much. I think that the fear is slowly starting to creep up on me. I think every pregnant woman experiences some type of anxiety but I just feel mine is so heightened. I know that it is just God's way of testing me to place all my faith in him or to waiver in any way possible. I am choosing not to waiver. Seeing people who are not as comfortable talking about our situation is kind of hard. I don't want people not to acknowledge what is going on. That just makes it harder for Jonathan and I, because it is our new reality. The reality is, my pregnancy is not normal, and our baby will have complications. Pretending like nothing is wrong is not helpful, nor does it make the situation just disappear. I guess I need to just realize that people deal with heavy situations in all different types of ways. I totally understand that some people just don't know what to say, but a simple "I'm praying for you" or "You're in our thoughts", is all I am asking for. Sorry for my little rant- it is just something that has been on my heart, especially this past week. 
Prayer requests: This week I ask for continued prayers for Dalton and that he may come out defying the odds working against him. I ask for the prayers that the fear that is starting to mount in my mind to be comforted by the fact that God is fully in control of our situation. I also ask for prayers that our anxiousness does not overcome us and that we are able to enjoy these last few weeks alone. Please also pray for Katie and Chris as they continue to grieve the loss of Hallie, their sweet angel girl. I know she and McKinley Grace are having a super fun playdate in heaven. 



 My beautiful sister and handsome brother.
 33 Weeks
 My 3 favorite men.
 Mommy and Daddy-LOVE
 Not too happy with this gift, thanks Mom!


7 comments:

  1. So proud of you on ALL levels! If you don't tell people how you feel, they can't guess. Letting them know it's O.K. to ask or acknowledge is what was needed to be done.
    I love you baby!

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  2. You look great Kara!! Trey used to wake up to me eating ritz crackers and peanut butter around this time. hahaha love it. your SO hungry you just cant go back to sleep. Thinking of you!!

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  3. Hi Kara... You have never met me, but I'm your Mom's cousin Jan. I am so excited to have this link to your blog - THANK YOU Glenda!! Now I can keep up with you and baby Dalton. I want you to know you have been in my prayers and will continue to be!! "I can do all things thru Christ.....".
    Love to all!!!

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  4. Praying for your sweet boy! He's on our prayer board and I see his name and pray for healing over his precious body! You can do this Kara! The Lord will give you grace for each moment, strength for each day. His goal is to strengthen our faith by having us rely on him. If he gave us enough for weeks or months at a time, we wouldn't need him. There is no better place to be in life than completely reliant on him, even though it's never what we would choose...hope you have a very special new years eve with Jonathan. Dalton looks very cute in your belly! Can't wait to see pics of his sweet face after he makes his appearance! Rachel Best

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  5. Haha. Love that picture of Kyle and the harmonica - I bet that was a hilarious moment!

    Sending much love to you and your family in the new year!

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  6. A little late with the comment, but so many things have improved, I'm thrilled for you. My prayer is that Dalton continues to grow and bring you nothing but happiness. Love, Aunt Lynda

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  7. This was really an interesting topic and I kinda agree with what you have mentioned here! pregnant miracle

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