Care package! And the ups and downs

The homestretch is getting here...only seven weeks to go!

Little man should weigh about four and a half pounds...but it feels like he weighs so much more. I told Steffany the other day my belly didn't feel big enough for one baby let alone two...I don't know how she did it! I'm starting to feel quite a bit of a constant pain in my lower back. Part of this owing to us staying outside for the better part of the weekend getting Chris's truck lifted, but also just because I cannot find a comfy way to sleep at night and I wake up with my back throbbing. I've been trying to use a heating pad when it is really bad, and still trying to keep up walking because it seemed to help a lot. But I haven't been able to walk every day for my thirty minutes like I need to and on the days that I miss I can definitely feel it in my back. Chris says that the stretch marks on my stomach kind of look like a tiger reached out and scratched me...hopefully that is a little bit of an exaggeration. I'm still putting coco butter on them every day and hoping that they will fade eventually.

For good news: Last night and today in class (although the second probably wasn't the best time to do this, it still happened anyway) Levi moved a little more than normal. I found a hard spot where either his butt or foot or some body part was protruding slightly more so than the rest of my stomach and would push on him slightly. After a moment or two he would push back and then move around some! I was so excited because this was the first time he has really responded so immediately and purposefully to my touch. His first way of "talking" to me! I was very excited to say the least.

The bad part of the day: As we get closer and closer to the end I find my emotions kind of take a hold of me whenever they feel like it. Lately I've been having serious concerns about the baby getting here and actually being mentally prepared for everything. The other night I wept about it a little bit, but Chris was here and talked me through it. Today at school (and unfortunately about twenty minutes before I was due to take a practice midterm) I was looking at my app telling me all the important information about the baby getting here and it just hit me all over again: there is going to be a little person who is completely dependent on us. I mean realistically I've known that forever, but the actual responsibility and weight of it kind of hit me today. I had a small panic attack moment, and all I could think was "I don't know how to do this. What if I'm not ready to be a mom?" Anybody that I have voiced this concern to says "You'll be a good mom. Instincts kick in. You've babysat and you were good with those kids." But in my mind I'm thinking...yeah but I always got to give those kids back to their moms at the end of the day! I really think pregnancy would be so much easier if we didnt have raging hormones to deal with also. Being able to talk to mom on the phone for a few minutes helped and reminded me that we are doing the best we can to prepare. I am still very glad that we will have her to help when he comes, plus Barbergail for a day, and hopefully Mrs. Diann and Mama Gina and Dad, but I'm not for sure when everyone is coming out. It will be hard not having everyone here all the time, but we only have to be by ourselves a month before coming home and being closer to everyone. Just one more thing that I am REALLY looking forward to!

The good part(s)! : I got my final grade back for my half semester political administration class and I got an 89! One less thing to worry about! I also talked to my professors in my other three classes and most of them are willing to work with me and do what they can so that they don't have to give me an incomplete. I feel a lot less stressed about school knowing that I have understanding professors who have my best academic interest in mind and will allow me to prove myself. I am going to try to work hard to get ahead in my classes and have all the work prepared to turn in so I am not going crazy about it at the last minute. Then, when I got home this afternoon, I had a package waiting for me from Mama Gina! I had to take pictures of all the cute stuff that she, Mrs. Dana, and Aunt Lori made for us. It is all VERY much appreciated, I cannot thank you guys enough for doing this for us! They all have full plates, especially Aunt Lou with a new born of her own, and it means so much to us that you all took the time to make and send these beautiful gifts to us.

I will try to keep updates as regular as possible as our due date draws nearer. (Plus I REALLY want to get back in the habit of documenting everything. I haven't even written Levi a letter since we have been home for Christmas leave =(  )

We love and miss everyone back home!

Levi's "I Love Grandma" Blanket

The Tractor Blanket

Dad and Daisy getting excited to go through all of the new stuff for baby boy!

Thanks for the monogramming Mrs. Dana! The blankets are all Mama Gina's creation. I know Levi will love his tractor blanket!

Some very creatively done burp cloths!

More monogramming from Mrs. Dana....haha I think my favorite one is "Party Time. My Crib. 1 a.m." Hopefully we don't actually have too many of these late nights after a certain point!

Onesies and Bib!

Daisy checking out her baby brother's new threads!

(Ignore the keys!) A tinkle cup to keep Levi from wetting on us while we change him!

Onesie! And a very weird smile...huh.

33 weeks as of today!

I hope you aren't blinded by the big white belly with the stretch marks!

3D 4D photos...All of them!

Ok they wouldn't upload on Facebook but I am determined to get them all up so that everyone can see! That is mostly what this post is about, since I did all of the actual information on Facebook already. By the way, the picture that's listed 4th with the hair...you're looking at the back of his head! From what she told us, all of the white wavy stuff right there is hair! It's crazy that he has that much, because as Chris and I were talking, we discovered that neither of us had hair at birth, so I don't know where Levi got that particular trait from!

He was being VERY very stubborn. I felt bad for the technician who was helping us, because she couldn't get him to move, and wasn't sure how to make him move without making me and my stomach uncomfortable! We ended up getting a hour session instead of a 20-30 minute one due to him not showing his face. (She also was kind enough to give us 60 pictures instead of the 15-30 that the package came with, and 12 black and white printouts when we were supposed to get only 5!) I finally had to resort to bending over to touch my toes five times, followed by trying to gently lift my stomach five times, just to get him up and moving around. I am not joking when I say little man did not budge an inch! It took Daddy reading to him and pushing slightly on my belly to convince him to move and get his hands out of his face. By the way...what was Chris reading to him you ask? George Bush's biography. (He says he is going to continue reading it to him even after he is born!)

I asked her to measure him, but she told me she really couldn't, and then just basically gave me what he should be measuring which is about 4 pounds, 19 inches.

I was somewhat disappointed to discover that yesterday morning was NOT my last one month visit. Since all of the books I have read have told me most doctors request 2 weeks visits after about 30 weeks or so I was expecting to get to hear Levi's heartbeat every two weeks now, since I am 32 weeks and only have 8 left to go. But instead, Mrs. Martinez told me that I will have one more one month visit, one 2 week visit, and 2 one week visits. I was hoping that it would be more, since it is getting close to the end and I am getting nervous as well as excited. However, I guess it is a good thing that I'm not needing to go in as often, since this probably means everything is going normally and extra checkups aren't needed. But as a first time mom it sure would be reassuring to hear his heart more! Speaking of normal and reassurance, at the ultrasound last night the technician did inform me that Levi has moved to the right position for birth! And although this is resulting in his feet being up under my ribcage when he spreads out, I am relieved that we hopefully don't have to worry about him being breech.

I looked up information on cord blood donation, since it is something that I am fairly sure I want to do. I finished up what I wanted my birth plan to include and I plan on bringing that to the doctor's office at my next vist for them to have in their records. It's almost time to start packing that bag full of everything we will need at the hospital and for coming home!

I am getting over being sick, and as Chris told me I was being "really pitiful"! But I hated being pregnant and sick at the same time, I hope that it never happens again. Anyone who knows me knows how much I hate going to the doctor, especially when I don't think that there is anything that they can do. So I made do with taking mucinex, vitamin c and some Benadryl and cough drops that Chris was sweet enough to get me! I'm just glad it is done and over with, because between being sick, school, cooking, cleaning, and everything else I was extremely run down. On the upside talking about school, this is the last week of my public administration class and spring break is just around the corner! It will be a nice week to kind of recharge and catch up on everything before the baby gets here.

The house hunt continues! We have not really made any progress with the FHA or VA so we are considering our options for once we get home without buying a house right away. We both really want something with acreage, partially for the horses, but also for Chris to have a workshop, to have room from neighbors and for Levi and Daisy to have a yard to play in. Speaking of Daisy, we have had several issues lately. =( She has gotten extremely protective of me and generally just very grumpy. She growls almost nonstop anytime she hears someone coming up the stairs or we go outside, and just a few days ago she actually bit Chris when he came near me and put his hand on me. She curls up around my stomach while sitting on the couch like she knows she is keeping the rest of the world away from her little brother. I am glad she is protective, but at the same time we can't have her biting Chris, and I also worry if she will still be protective OF the baby when he gets here, or if she will see him as a threat. I am hoping that she just kind of chills out, because I don't want to have to get rid of her but I'm not going to risk her biting the baby either. She's kind of "on trial" right now because we haven't had any more incidents, and I've been trying to take her walking with me to maybe let out some of her pent up energy. But if she acts up again, then she is going to be going home with Mom and Shane until Levi is older.

Last thing: Chris has been working harder than ever on my jeep, and actually just installed some new speakers, because he couldn't stand the quality of my old ones! We have also taken the top down a lot more lately to take advantage of the nice weather. It just stinks having to put it back up before a sandstorm comes! He bought a lift kit for his truck, but I am begging him not to put it on before the baby gets here, because I have to do a jump hop start before I can climb in as it is! LOL.

I think that is all of the updates I had. I miss everyone and cannot WAIT until we are home so I can share in person too! It seems like it is forever away but I'm sure the time will go by much quicker once Levi gets here! Enjoy the pictures! 

 

Levi Texas Brewer-March 4 2013

 

So much hair here on his head! I don't know where it all came from!

His chubby little cheecks!

 

I just want to kiss on him! I love this picture even though it isn't a full on view.

His little hand up near his face!

From what I remember the technicial telling me, this is his feet and little toes. He kept trying to grab them!

 He opened his eye! I am so glad we caught that moment!

Chris says his lips, but I really think they are kind of mine! No doubt about the nose though! Can't wait to see those beautiful eyes when he gets here! =)

Yawn!

Proud dad! Thanks for getting him to move babe!