35 weeks

As our journey nears the end of one chapter, i am eager, excited, and nervous for the next chapter to begin. I have now passed the 35 week mark of being pregnant & over-joyed that i am beating the odds of "most gastro babies come early". Each day that i conquer is a celebration to myself. I am beyond proud of this little girl. I have been prepared for her arrival as much as i can be, and although i am impatient to meet her, i know she will come when she is ready too. All fears, questions, what ifs, and thoughts of having a baby have started to surface as i near the end of our pregnancy. Its more scary not really knowing when she will come, but i think thats normal with all pregnant mommies.

My emotions have really been all over the place lately. Some nights it is so hard to sleep, but other times i have no problem sleeping all day. No crazy cravings, but when i think of something to eat, i want it right then and there. Its pretty crazy. Sometimes i feel like a little kid throwing a tantrum because all i want to do is sleep. It is really draining carrying a baby. I get severe back pain in my upper back too, i think thats where i am carrying all of her weight. It sure does put a lot of pressure on my lungs and breathing comfortably can be a strain at times. Its all for her though.

I am on weekly visits with my original high risk doctor now as well as NST monitoring twice a week at the facility i will be delivering at. I am officially not working anymore either, so thats such a burden off my shoulders. All my focus is on the baby now. All doctor appointments are going well too! Constant monitoring of her cute little heartbeat and she is growing just fine. 2 weeks ago, she weighed in at 3lbs 5oz, not including her intestines. I am so excited. She is getting so big, and i can feel her growing and moving all around inside my belly too.

Ive had a burst of confidence after a few other babies have been born recently, and finding out how far along they went & how big their little babes were at birth. I pray for the same results for us. No dilations to our littles bowels either, which is so wonderful. We dont have to rush to get her out anytime soon. The doctors are allowing me to go as long as possible, they seem pretty certain that she will come on her own. They are also allowing me to go natural too. I am pretty excited i get to experience giving birth naturally. I am still going to try & go without any drugs, if i do have to be induced for any reason, im sure my decisions will have to change. Cant believe that in about 5 weeks, i will be a mommy. I dont think she knows how much i love her and how proud i am of her. She is my little trooper, my fighter, my sweet sunshine. I cant wait to see her beautiful face for the first time.

I havent updated my blog as often as i should. A lot changes when you have a baby on the way. We have been living with his parents for almost 2 months now, trying to save money to move out. He has started another new job too. I hope everything will start looking up too. I look forward to getting a new place to bring Madalyn home too, and place for our dog December & kitty Mylo (miss them so much too) to be with us again. As soon as Madalyn is here, i will keep updates on her progress in NICU. I have a journal put in my hospital bag to keep track of every milestone we accomplish and as she grows, she will look back at all of this and know everything that she accomplished.

Here are her recent ultrasound photos too. First one is of her hand and foot in the hair, the second is her profile & the third is of her sweet little face.