Bed Rest to Baby

Today, I am 39 weeks pregnant. That is a long time.

First, thank you to everyone who prayed for us over the weekend. Chris was able to spend the entire weekend in Knoxville with Mark for his wedding. It was tough for Chris to be gone with his daughter due any day, so we're really happy that Caroline stayed put through the weekend. If you know Chris and Mark, you know this is a big deal. Since they can't legally marry each other, they got the next best thing. They are each the signed witness on each other's marriage licenses. Maybe continue to pray for Amanda and me as we share our husbands for the rest of our lives.

Back to baby.

I'm really glad to be almost done with pregnancy. Don't get me wrong--I have really enjoyed being pregnant. I have loved every kick and hiccup and the anticipation of what she'll look like. But it has been a tough road. I've been on nausea medicine for 9 months. I've had swollen sinuses for months. I got costochondritis in my ribs. And a couple of weeks ago, I found out I had pre-eclampsia. Fortunately, it has been very mild and manageable with bed rest. My feet and ankles, which used to resemble elephant feet, are completely back to normal since I've been on bed rest. More importantly, my blood pressure is back to normal. I'm very glad I've been able to stay home for the past week, mostly thanks to my incredible coworkers. It's so nice to know that my kids at school are in great hands even when I'm not there.

The wait for Caroline is almost over. To prevent any possible complications from the pre-eclampsia, we will be inducing this week. I'm a huge ball of nerves and excitement. I can't wait to snuggle my baby! I spent this morning making little headbands for her. These were some old shirts (from high school....) that I'm pretty sure I won't fit in again, so I cut them, hot glued them, and tied them to make these soft little headbands. If they actually work, I might make some more!

I must say...I noticed this phenomenon when Chris and I were engaged. Everyone (including strangers) felt the need to tell us all the horror stories of things that happened at their weddings. I'm not sure what purpose it served, except to stress us out. And sure, Chris was in a car accident the day before our wedding, which totaled the best man's (see Mark above) car. I get it that things go wrong, everything turned out okay anyway, and you might think that's encouraging to a couple about to host their wedding. But it's not. This same phenomenon has reared its head again since I've been pregnant. Everyone wants to share their horror stories from labor or tell me how I'll never sleep again. NOT ENCOURAGING. So here's what I need as we prepare to welcome our baby girl this week:

• What were the special moments you remember from labor and delivery?
• How did having a baby change your life in a good way?
• What pleasantly surprised you?

Okay, GO! The next time you hear from me, we will be introducing you to our daughter Lion King style. This is how I will be greeting all of you for the next few weeks:

The Nest is Ready

I am officially 9 months pregnant. I will be "full term" tomorrow. That is crazy. This pregnancy has flown by. It hasn't always been easy, but I am so thankful that God has blessed us with this little girl. I cannot wait to meet her!

It may be sooner than originally thought. I found out at my last appointment that I am in the early stages of pre-eclampsia, which is some kind of high blood pressure/protein/swelling condition. (I can't imagine how I got high blood pressure. My job is so easy! .......) My doctor is monitoring my blood pressure and protein levels and could make a decision to induce at any time. This was a little scary at first, but now that I've had a week to absorb that information, I am feeling more and more ready.

My belly is ready too. I never imagined how big I would look or feel. Or how swollen my feet and ankles could be. It's a love/hate relationship right now.

Chris and I spent this past week finishing the nursery and getting everything ready. Our sweet girl's room is now fully stocked and waiting for her!

This is her crib and the beautiful cherry blossom painting from her Aunt Sarah!

Rocking chair and book nook.

Her day bed is ready for visitors, who don't mind sharing a room with a crying baby.

The changing station. Still waiting on a few decorations, but it's mostly ready. Probably need to get rid of that hammer in the floor...

A panoramic view of sweet girl's room.

A view from the other side of the room.

This may be the last pregnancy update. Caroline could come at any point now. Decisions to induce can be made at any of my next few doctor's appointments, which are every Tuesday from now on. So if you think about it, keep us in your prayers. It can be hard living week to week not knowing if THIS is the week that your life changes forever. Also, prayers for a safe delivery for me and baby, especially with pre-eclampsia now in the mix. We can't wait for all of you to meet her!

Baby Update--It's Getting Close!

We're just bopping along over here, enjoying cake and such since I don't have diabetes. Caroline is almost here, and I'm starting to get nervous. And tired. I'm very tired.

This picture was from last week. Both my belly and the bags under my eyes are bigger now.

Caroline is getting bigger too! In fact, she's huge (according to our most recent ultrasound). Doc doesn't think I'll make it to my due date, but time will tell. I've been fortunate enough to have 5 ultrasounds so far. Everything is perfect with baby, but she's been really uncooperative at every ultrasound so we have to keep rescheduling them. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come... But all these extra ultrasounds means Caroline has enough pictures to have her own collage this week!

Since this was a 3-day weekend, we were able to get a lot done to prepare for baby! Her crib is set up (sans bedding). I cleaned out my dresser and moved it into her room for a changing table. My clothes are in rubbermaid storage containers for the time being. I have a feeling this won't be the last time I sacrifice my own things for this baby... We officially booked a pediatrician today. I ordered her crib bedding with the help of my awesome brother Andy. I magic erased her entire room. (nesting much?) I'm so excited to see everything start to come together. It really looks like we'll have a tiny person living with us soon.

Chris putting the crib together.

A few pregnancy updates (33 weeks):

Symptoms: So tired. Ribs on fire. Loose SI joint. Rhinitis. Morning sickness still going strong. Ankles bigger than softballs. It's a lovely process, really.

Baby's size: ~4.5 lbs.

My weight gain: 22 lbs. When I went to the doctor last week, she made this comment: "You've only gained 2 lbs since last time, and by the looks of you, it's probably all just swelling. Great job!" That'll make a girl feel good. Not.

 Clothes: Sooo many awesome friends have loaned me maternity clothes so my wardrobe is expanding a little. However, I wore 2 non-maternity shirts last week, so go figure.

Stretch marks: No! Go belly, go!

Sleep: Nope. Just turning over in bed is hilarious.

Movement: Caroline still does her daily karate, gymnastics, and yoga. Someone (ahem, Chris) has given her very strong legs.

Cravings: hot chocolate and CUTIES. You know, those tiny little oranges that come like 40 to a bag? I just finished my fourth bag since Christmas.

This week is going to be another exciting baby week! We start childbirth classes at the hospital this Friday, and our first baby shower is this weekend! It's becoming so real. All my apps keep telling me to pack a hospital bag and make a birth plan.

Quick question for my L&D friends, though: do people really bring birth plans to hospitals? If I just bring a bag of chocolate and tell you to get the baby here the safest way possible, will that suffice?


Aaaand since Chris just brought me some ice cream (love him), this blog is over. But we can't forget my other little baby that really enjoyed those -12 degree days last week. He lives for days that he gets to wear his sweater.

That Time I Didn't Have Diabetes

It's been quite an interesting week in the O'Brien household. Baby Caroline is growin' like a weed and so is my belly. First, a belly collage:

Last week, I officially entered the 3rd trimester! It's been a whirlwind so far.

I went in for my routine 1-hour glucose test last week, thinking "I've aced every test I've ever taken--bring it on diabetes test." The orange drink was not that bad. I mean, I ask for extra sugar in my white chocolate mocha so.... I did the little blood draw and went about my business. A few days later, I got the call-- I failed. They needed me to come back in for a longer glucose test, and this one could lead to a gestational diabetes diagnosis.

I can't say I was completely surprised. I mean, this was the food spread at my bridal shower:

Food breakdown: cheesecake, Pringles, Swiss cake rolls, potato skins, orange slices (the candy kind), candy corn, Chick-fil-a nuggets, and fruit (for everyone else).

I haven't always had the best eating habits....

So for the past 5 days, I have been eating as if I had diabetes. Counting carbs. Protein loading. Exercising.What?! Yesterday, I went back for the long glucose test. It wasn't as bad as expected, especially since my WONDERFUL husband came with me to keep me company. Love. Him. Then I anxiously awaited the results.

No diabetes!!!! I actually passed by a huge margin, so I celebrated with a diet Dr. Pepper and sweet freedom to eat ALL THE FOOD at Christmas next week.

Dear in-laws, don't hold back. This pregnant lady is coming hungry. But seriously, this little adventure has made me realize I really need to watch what I eat better. Everything I do and eat affects my daughter. I guess this won't change once she's born either. I'm not ready to commit to my mother-in-law's spinach smoothies ;-) but I could have a few less milkshakes.

In other news, Chris and I had a great Thanksgiving in Dothan, AL. We ate a lot of delicious food, and Chris' sweet cousin taught me how to knit baby hats!

More pregnancy update (28 weeks):

Symptoms: My ribs are now loosely defined as "bones." They move, twist, rotate, and are now organized like the game Pick-up Sticks. Morning sickness still going strong 6 months later. Random numb patches when Caroline plays with my nerves.

Baby's size: 2.25 lbs, 14 inches.

My weight gain: 17 lbs. :-/

Clothes: 5 shirts, 3 pairs of pants. Don't judge me. I wash them often.

Stretch marks: Not yet!

Sleep: No. My new body pillow makes not sleeping a little more comfortable though! Caroline does her best gymnastics between 10 pm-5 am.

Movement: So. Much. Little feet in my ribs. Little feet on my bladder. Her new thing is that she really doesn't like me to rest anything on my belly. This was supposed to be a fun part of pregnancy--balancing bowls and such on your belly! No, Caroline will kick it off. My phone lasts about 30 seconds.

Cravings: all the hot chocolate in the world.

Exciting news: We bought a new-to-us car so that Cinderella would have a safe, functional, non-moldy ride to the ball! It's a Nissan Altima, and we are so thankful to everyone who helped us with the purchase.


I don't have any new pictures of baby yet, but I am having another ultrasound after Christmas since the doctor thinks she might be a little small. I mean, she has met me so I don't know why she's confused. But I'll always take an opportunity to see my little girl!

24 Weeks!

Baby Caroline is officially "viable" today! That means she would probably survive if something happened and she were born now. But many prayers that she stays in until March. I like my babies like I like my steak- well done.

Pregnancy has been wonderful, with a small dash of miserable. Here's an update on all things baby:

Symptoms: still have morning sickness (better when I take my nausea medicine) and a 5-month-long cold

Baby's size: 1 lb. 3 oz., 12 inches

My weight gain: 11 lbs

Clothes: maternity pants and a mix of maternity shirts/baggy regular shirts

Stretch marks: not yet!

Sleep: my stuffy nose and coughing keep me up at night more than baby does

Movement: She moves ALL THE TIME. Her little kicks are the best. Sometimes my belly feels like a hamster wheel. Not only can you feel her kicking, but you can see her kicking. Super weird. When I eat chocolate, ice cream, or cake, she looks like this:

Cravings: chocolate, ice cream, and cake. We might share some DNA.

Exciting news: We registered this weekend! Chris survived 2 hours at Babies R Us before becoming a zombie. [slow clap for Chris] We were very confused and overwhelmed by all the baby products. We don't know what they all do and everything is so expensive! But since the only thing Caroline currently owns is a handful of clothes, we need to figure this stuff out asap.

Sad news: We have to buy a new car. Again, very overwhelming. I'm looking for advice. We need a car with trunk space. We've been looking at Nissan Altimas/Rogues but are open to ANY ideas. If you have an affordable car with awesome trunk space, let me know!

Finally, a recent picture of our little girl:

A Baby Adventure

We're having a baby!!

We are SO excited. I think it's important to first mention that we do not take this blessing lightly. There are so many people hoping and waiting to be parents. We understand that. I thank God everyday that he has given us this child, and I pray that if you are waiting, your wait will be over soon.

As you can imagine, this has been a long road. Most of this story is not appropriate for the interwebs, so long story short, birth control pills are the devil. They made me 50 shades of cray the last few months I took them. I'm all for most people taking birth control, but until they make child-sized dosages (let's all pray they don't), I don't need to take them. Turns out--if you don't take birth control, you can get pregnant! I'm currently 18 weeks.

Pregnancy has been a barrel of fun so far. Joking. (But seriously- so thankful to have this gift.) Morning sickness is no joke. It didn't seem real until our first ultrasound. At first, we found out we were having a Sour Patch Kid:

10 weeks

I found out I am due on March 10, which is 2 days before my birthday!! Since my birthday is my favorite day of the year, I'm so excited to finally have someone who will share my excitement.

Later, we found out the Sour Patch Kid is actually a baby:

13 weeks

This is Baby lounging on its head with both hands under its head and legs propped up. This would normally be super cute, except that the ultrasound tech was trying to measure the back of its neck and it wouldn't move its arms. Stubborn. I don't know who that comes from.

We had our most recent ultrasound yesterday and found out Baby is a GIRL! Chris and I totally thought it was a boy, so we spent most of yesterday in shock. We have some pictures, but they all show the lady bits so I'm gonna not put my child's business all out there. She's definitely a girl. Her name is Caroline. <3

There has been very minimal progression in the belly region, but I promise it's there.

Pregnancy brings some strange symptoms. I expected the "ralphing" every morning, but I did not realize I would also acquire narcolepsy and a never-ending string of brain farts. Seriously, my IQ dropped like 50 points when I got pregnant. I tried to break into a closed dialysis lab yesterday because I thought it was my doctor's office. (I was on the wrong floor.) My current favorite symptom is rhinitis. Yesterday, my doctor told me my nose looked swollen. I called her several bad names in my head and thought, "Are you telling me my nose is big?" But Chris confirmed that my sinuses were indeed swollen. Turns out this might not go away until Caroline is here. On the bright side, I've got a sweet man singing voice. Like, Miley Cyrus would be proud.

Our next major milestone will be passing the glucose test. If anyone has any tips on how not to get gestational diabetes, let me know. And don't say stop eating cake.

I can't wait to share this adventure with all of you!

Lil Update on the O'Briens

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. I wish I could say it's because we've been super busy, but it's actually because we've been super boring. No one wants to read about boring people.

But there have been a few things going on in our lives. They are as follows:

We spent the summer in Mississippi. That's a different place. Chris had a 7 week clinical placement at an acute care hospital in Columbus. We were sooo thankful that his aunt and uncle, Lynne and David, lived just down the road so we were not homeless. Also thankful their house did not have bullet holes in it... as ours currently did. That's another story.

The month in the 'Sip was just as you might imagine it-- fishing, lost satellites on the GPS, and wild hogs hitting our car. It was wonderful.

We Sarah made a cake:

Itchy tried to eat the O'Brien family cat 3x a day:

We lounged:

Sadly, we had to come home and take care of ourselves like real adults. And deal with that bullet hole.

A few other current events:

• I just started my 6th year of teaching. We are up to our eyeballs in Common Core, but 2nd grade is still the best of them all.
• Chris began his final year of PT school today. And paid tuition payment #8. One more to go. ONE. MORE. TO. GO.
• We have started attending a new church in Murfreesboro. This has been one heck of a journey. Chris and I had such great churches families in Knoxville and miss them so much more than we ever knew we would. Since being in Nashville, we have officially seen it all when it comes to churches. Churches with a little this, a little that, none of what matters. Churches that are HARD to fit in to. Churches with more emphasis on performance than community. Churches more interested in being relevant than preaching truth. On the recommendation from a friend (of course a Knox-church-friend), we have started attending a church 0.2 miles from our house. It's a mix between Calvary (my home) and CrossWalk (Chris' home) with a Mark Driscoll/Greg Pinkner/Louis Giglio hybrid pastor. We are really praying this is our final home. We are so tired of being homeless.
• And finally, football season begins in 5 days. So at this moment, we're still really pumped about Tennessee's season. Don't rain on our parade. We will begin accepting flowers and chocolate by the end of October.
• Go Vols. We love you anyway.