1 Week!!!

So here we are at 39 weeks, which means 1 week until due date!! Oh me oh my! Baby is still movin 'n groovin in my belly. I think he is still pretty happy and content in there. We had a wonderful Christmas. People were sure we were going to have a Christmas baby, but I guess he has other plans! It would have made for a very exciting day, but I would feel bad for him every year after that. Oh well, his special day will come! We had a great day with both sides of our family. Lots of yummy food, laughs and memories made. Christmas sure is a joyous time to get together with loved ones and share in the meaning of eveything.

This week, I got the house cleaned up, decorations all put away, tree down and baby stuff put up instead. Also, the construction is done on the nursery!! All we need now is paint! Woot! We are getting very excited and anxious to meet this little guy! I am ready for him to come whenever he is ready to meet us :)

Christmas Eve in front of our tree
38.5 weeks

Christmas Eve

Kids with Santa on Christmas Eve

Silly lovebirds

The three of us :)

The kids and Presley on Christmas morning

The family with Grandma

The Haagsma women on Christmas morning

Christmas Morning

 Baby Stavy is ready for USC football games with daddy

38 Weeks

Well we have made it to full term and then some.....baby is cooked and could come anytime!! I'd feel confident he would be healthy....yet, I am not ready for him to come!! Don't get me wrong, I can not wait to meet him, but I know he will be here soon, so I want to soak up a little more time of him baking in my belly. Plus, we physically aren't ready. If he came early, we would make it work, but we are working very hard to get the nursery ready. Which is really taking a transformation and my vision of how I wanted it to look is really turning out! Yay! I'll be sure to share pictures when it is complete!

I can't believe that this little man will be here basically within in the next 2-3 weeks. Nick and I are really enjoying "us" time in the meantime. It has been a great 2.5 years of being married and enjoying each other. We are ready for Baby Stavy to join us and although things will never be the same, I'm pretty sure things are going to be much more amazing. God has surely blessed us!

I am officially off work. I have been for just over 2 weeks and it feels great. I can finally be on normal hours like most of the world. I will definitely miss my work and co-workers, but I will enjoy the rest before baby and enjoy him when he is here. It's also great timing to be off for the holidays! It's been fun getting the house decorated, shopping, and of course baking!

I had a ultrasound last week at 36 weeks 1 day. Baby was measuring right on track! It was so neat to see him one last time before we meet on the outside! I loved seeing his fetal breathing, the 4 chambers of his heart working together, and all his little parts. The estimated weight was 6 lbs. 8 oz. Which could be off 1-2 lbs either way. So who knows what he really will be. He is gaining about half an ounce a day. Those will add up real quick! I think this past week he went through a huge growth spurt! I am hungry ALL the time! Day and night!

One random exciting thing, we finally got washer and dryer!! It's a long story why we haven't had any for the whole time we've been in our house, but we have them now!!! I have never been so excited to wash clothes! I'm thankful for family that have let us take their machines over, but I am thankful to not to have to lug the big basket around etc. Or have to go through the embarrassment of getting underwear stuck in someone else's dryer! Actually, it was Nick's underwear, so he wasn't embarrassed, but the thought of that it could have been mine makes me blush.

House update: Still unpacking boxes. We have been focused on the nursery that we have neglected other things. Being off work, I am able to finally get some things done! We'll get there. We are just perfectionists (Nick more than I) and everything just takes a little longer. Oh well, I thankful it's done right the first time.

A couple weeks ago, I had my family baby shower! It was a very blessed time with some very special people. Unfortunately, half my family (mom's side) lives in Washington, so they weren't able to join in, but they were definitely missed. I am so thankfully for everyone who came to celebrate Baby Stavy! He is so lucky to joining such a wonderful family!

All the yummy food!

The most adorable basket! Also a handmade baby blanket! So precious!

Baby Stavy's Nonna

Baby Stavy's Beppe

Baby Stavy's Auntie Jamie and her family

All the wonderful hosts and helpers of the shower!

Survey:
How far along: 38 weeks 3 days (eek 12 more days!)
Total Weight Gain: Gained.
Stretchmarks: None...they are still staying away!
Sleep: Sleeping stinks. I am so uncomfortable. Pillows don't help any which way. Turning is such a chore. I do get some sleep, but I wake up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom.
Best Moment This Week: We got washer and dryer and I have been washing all the itty bitty baby things. Christmas is coming! Love this season and all joy that comes with it.
Movement: Lots of movement! He is very active.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Braxton hicks have picked up. As far as any other signs, not sure. My doctor will start checking me next week at 39 weeks.
Belly Button: Still in.
What I Miss: Wine, sleeping on my back and stomach, and not having caffeine restrictions.
What I am Looking Forward to: The construction on the nursery being complete! We are almost there. Also looking forward to Christmas and time with family!
Milestones: Baby is 6.8 lbs and 19.5 inches long.

Well that's all for now!! I know its been a while since an update! Off to go do some baking!

34 Weeks

How far along: 34 weeks
Total Weight Gain: Gained.
Stretchmarks: None...hope they don't make a surprise visit in these last few weeks
Sleep: Sleeping great, because I am tired ALL THE TIME! I am constantly fatigued and have no energy. I know working nights is a huge part of it, but luckily I only have 2 weeks left of work.
Best Moment This Week: We got our baby furniture! Yay, now we just need to get the room started and finished. Construction is starting this weekend! Can't wait!
Movement: Lots of movement! He is very active.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button: Still in.
What I Miss: I miss wine and that will be a given for the remainder of the pregnancy.
What I am Looking Forward to: The construction to begin on the nursery! Also looking forward to Thanksgiving, even though I have to work, I get to at least enjoy a turkey dinner!
Milestones: Baby is 18 inches long and almost 5 lbs!

Here are a few picture from my showers...we are so blessed with great friends and family who have made this time so special! Baby Stavy is so lucky!

Work shower with my awesome co-workers. We had some great laughs and good food!

Delicious food at my friends shower!

My beautiful host Jenna at my friends shower and the awesome diaper cake she made!

Wendy, Renee, Jenalee and Chelsey

Missy, Nicole and Alyse

Our wonderful Bible Study leader Susan, who opened up her home for this special occasion, along with Sarah and Alisha.

The cutest little newborn beanie made by Chelsey

Leslie and her sweet Emilie, 3 weeks old

Stavros shower at Georges Greek Cafe...so yum!! This is the dessert table with all kinds of homemade treats!

The 3 pregos...Amber due with Baby boy on Nov. 26. Monique due with Baby girl on Nov. 30! So excited for them.

Raechel

Such great memories! I have one more shower with my side of the family in a couple weeks! We are just so excited to meet our little man and put all these gifts to use. 6 more weeks! They are going to fly by with the holidays thrown in!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

32 Weeks

Today I am 32 weeks! We are less than 2 months away from our due date! We are still moving in and trying to get settled. I never want to move again!! So much work! It's all worth it now though! Well since last post, I had to deal with another night in the ER trying to deal with kidney stones. This was by far the worst attack of them yet. I had the horrible pain for 2 straight days with no relief. It was pure torture! It was so bad I called off of work and ended up in the ER desperate for them to do anything. I actually thought maybe the stones were too big this time and couldn't pass. I was monitored in L&D for an hour. Baby was great and no contractions! So happy about that! Back in the ER, I was given lousy pain medication, told one stone is the size of 1 cm and that I need to continue with fluids. Boo. I wish there was more they could do. Nick was such a trooper. He missed half the USC game being with me. Well that was Friday night and by Saturday morning....I was passing the stones. Yes....plural...because I probably passed about 30 little ones and one huge one! Eeek! Unfortunately, I will probably have bigger and stronger episodes of this until this baby is out! Well thats the lastest! Right now I am thankful to be painfree and that baby is doing well!

Bump pic:

This is the lastest bump pic I have. Taken at 29 weeks. I have sinced popped even more.





31 Weeks

How far along: 31 weeks 2 days
Total Weight Gain: Gained.
Stretchmarks: None...hoping it stays that way.
Sleep: Sleep has been okay. I have good nights and then there's painful nights. With the kidney stone pain keeping me awake all the time. Then there's the round ligament pain that I feel every time I turn. Quite painful. Good thing I am exhausted enough to keep sleeping through most of it. 
Best Moment This Week: We moved into our house this past weekend! We have a lot to do before baby in less 9 weeks (eeek)! but we had so much help moving in. Both our families spent their Sunday helping us move and clean. They were all incredible. I love getting our house put together!!!
Movement: Lots of movement! He arms and legs are all over the place, I can't keep up. It's crazy how they will just protrude out.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Too early for that! Just Braxton Hicks.
Belly Button: Still in.
What I Miss: I miss wine and that will be a given for the remainder of the pregnancy. I really want to sleep on my stomach. I want to bend and move without bumping into things.
What I am Looking Forward to: Getting the house all unpacked and starting on the nursery. We finally ordered furniture and bedding. Yay! Also looking forward to my baby showers!
Milestones: Baby is 18 inches long and almost 4 lbs! Were in the final trimester!

This picture is too funny...had to share!

Can't believe it is November already! Thanksgiving will be here soon! I am craving a yummy turkey meal!

Well I'll be sure to update again soon. We don't have internet at the house yet and my time is fully devoted to the house. Sorry for long lapse since the last blog...hopefully it won't happen again!

26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks 3 days
Total Weight Gain: Gained....the end.
Stretchmarks: None...hoping it stays that way.
Sleep: Sleep is okay. It's a love hate relationship with the body pillow now. I love snuggling up to it! Yet, going from one side to the other and moving the thing will wake me up and I feel like I am not getting good sleep. I'm comfortable, but wake up a lot through out the night. I wake up once to go to the bathroom, so that's not too bad.
Best Moment This Week: Finding out we got the house that we love and knowing we will have a place for our baby boy to start his life and memories in. I have another, Nick celebrated his 30th birthday. He turned 30 on the 30th! It was a "Golden" day! I am so blessed to have such an amazing hubby and look forward to the year ahead!
Movement: Lots of movement! Being able to see it from the outside is incredible and kinda weird, but I love it! He loves to punch and kick on my bladder! Although right now, I can tell his butt is facing out and the movements are so much softer that way.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Too early for that!
Belly Button: Still in.
What I Miss: I miss wine and that will be a given for the remainder of the pregnancy. I don't miss anything new lately.  
What I am Looking Forward to: Where do I start...moving into our home at the end of this month! Getting my boy's nursery ready, fall weather, candles, football games, and our babymoon!
Milestones: Baby is 14.5 inches long and 2 lbs! So close to the last trimester!

***Sidenote...I am having kidney stones all the time! So that means back pain all the time as well. It's just crazy that they keep showing up or they are all still coming out. Please pray they pass quickly! I might need to really follow through with a nephrologist to see if I need to change something in my diet, because this is just crazy. No one should have to go through this, let alone pregnant.

This is me all the time. I am so hot and sometimes just break out in a sweat for no reason. So ready for some cool weather!

It has been an incredible last couples weeks and apologize for the delay in posting. Between work, house hunting and mandatory power outages, this was not a priority! Now I will have more time until moving time and then the madness really begins.

We are so excited to have a home. We have been looking for months online getting ideas of neighborhoods and houses that we like. We knew we wanted to be in South OC, but werent sure where exactly. Nick's parents live in Laguna Hills and we happen to find the perfect home 2 miles away. We just started being agressive with the home process about 2-3 weeks ago with getting an agent and lender...and what do you know we already have put an offer on one and got the house. Can I just say God is so good and his plan for us is amazing. He truly has blessed us this year and this all has come together with the most perfect timing. We are so grateful for all that we have been provided with. Also, this house had just came on the market and there were multiple offers. We were very anxious last week waiting to hear. The sellers said they really liked us and wanted us to have it. They really wanted a young family in the home. So sweet! It was all meant to be!
Some pictures of our home:

Front of the house

Kitchen, it's open to the family room and has big windows to the backyard

Master bedroom with "retreat" area. Cant wait to cuddle up next to fire with a good book!

Backyard- the hill goes high up with lots of trees and plants. Can't wait for some BBQs

September was great month!! 1. We celebrated many big birthdays! I turned 25, my mom turned 50, and Nick turned 30!! So fun celebrating the gift of life and another year! 2. Our friends Missy and Aric had their baby boy...Levi Scott. Havent met him yet, but the pictures are so sweet! So excited for them and cant wait for future playdates with our boys. 3. Lastly of course, we got our house!!

Well those are the big happenings for now! Don't really know how to top those!

Looking forward to October as well! We are heading up to Mammoth in a couple weeks for a little "babymoon." We are just going to enjoy the relaxation, being together and yummy food! We have a USC game planned with friends! We have been planning this for months, and we just found out we get our keys on the same night....decisions, decisions. I told Nick I am totally down to still go to the game because what can we do to the house the night of getting the keys. Might as well enjoy the game. We'll see how I feel closer to the that time. Lastly, we get the house this month! Eek. I can't believe this is all really happening. We are already so busy brainstorming what to do first! It's quite overwheming.

Well sorry for my rambling post of trying to play catch up on the entire last month! I need to take a new bump pic. It is growing by the day.

Have a great week!

Quick Pic

22.5 Weeks



Update / 22 weeks

Well I thought I better update my situation from last post. I am doing SOOO much better!!! Oh my goodness. The next time I feel that pain I hope it's for labor and in about 17 weeks (well at least I can get some real pain medicine then). Wowie.

The ER episode was on Thursday night and I felt fine on Friday. I was able to do some things around the house, we registered (oh what an overwhelming ordeal that was) and got to go out to eat, all the while drinking gallons of water. So that was a good and not as painful of a day. My body just felt real tender all over.

Then comes Saturday morning and the excruciating pain is back!!! Oh how you feel like you want to die when going through the episode. I took the lousy pain pill I had and laid on a heating pad to try and numb the pain away. Nothing worked. Nick left me to go run some errands. I don't blame him, there was nothing he could do to help, and he probably didn't like seeing me in pain. And then.....(TMI) went to the restroom and had a weird sensation...not painful, just weird and sure enough I had PASSED the stones!!!! What a relief!!!!

Just kidding... :)

Crazy how I could see them and how many came out at once. Dr. was right, it was an avalanche of stones because I couldn't even count how many there were. So ever since then, I haven't had any more episodes and doing well!!! Baby is doing really well and kicking like crazy!! I hope no one has to go through that....especially being pregnant. Water is your best friend! I am just thankful they were small enough to pass. Whew.

Now for baby/pregnancy update @ 22 weeks:

How far along: 22 weeks 2 days (thankfully not 22 months lol...can't imagine that)!
Total Weight Gain: Gained....the end.
Stretchmarks: None...hoping it stays that way.
Sleep: Sleep is a lot better since passing the stones. I think they had a lot to do with why I wasn't sleeping well and not being able to get comfortable. Ready for the heat to be gone. At least the mornings have been cooler.
Best Moment This Week: Feeling kicks from the outside that Nick could feel too! Pretty amazing. Oh and passing the stones!
Movement: I have been feeling stronger movement and getting to know his patterns.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Too early for that!
Belly Button: Still in. It's widening.
What I Miss: I miss wine and that will be a given for the remainder of the pregnancy. I am missing being able to lay on my stomach. I sometimes forget I got a sprouting belly in the way. I need to go to the beach and dig a hole for my belly lol.
What I am Looking Forward to: Fall time and Game Day Saturdays! Ha jk....that's Nick thing.
Milestones: Baby is the size of a Papaya. Baby is about 10-11 inches long and 12-20 ounces. He is looking more like a newborn.

This past weekend we babysat the two most adorable boys ever!! They are identical twins but look different and its easy to tell them apart. They will be two in October and they are so fun with their different personalities!! Gets us really excited for our little man.

Nick with Donovan and Chandler

ER

Well last night I went into work as usual, only to become a patient 5 minutes later...
Here's the full story starting last week. (I apologize for TMI and the long post)

Last week Thursday I had my usual check up at the OB. That morning I had noticed possible blood in my urine, but didn't think too much about it. When I got to the Dr's office I did the usual pee in the cup thing and there was definite blood. I told the medical assistant that was helping me and she said oh you're probably just dehydrated and it's darker. I wasn't sold on that and told her I'm pretty sure it's blood. (I'm a nurse, I know what blood in the urine looks like)! Sure enough she tested it and it was. I told my Dr. about it and he didn't seem too concerned and just thought maybe a little bacteria was irritating my bladder. He gave me a prescription for Macro-Bid and sent me on my way. I've had bladder infections before, and I wasn't having the usual symptoms. But what do I know right?!

I finished my course of antibiotics yesterday (Thurs.) morning and figured whatever I had was better now. Besides last Thursday, I didn't have any more blood in my urine.

I worked Wednesday night. Sleep all day Thursday, to go back to work Thursday night. I slept downstairs on the couch Thursday because of the heat and how hot it gets upstairs. So when I woke up with excruciating pain in my back, I thought it was from the couch. I took Tylenol and used the back massager with heat to try and help. Nothing phased it. The pain was so bad! I had pain only in my right lower back, right groin area and down my right leg was radiating pain. Ugh! I just associated it all with pregnancy and sleeping on the couch. Well I went to the bathroom (sorry TMI) and there was blood and now clots in my urine! Thankfully I knew it was in my urine and not anywhere else.

I immediately went to Google and tried to figure out what the heck was going on! I knew it probably wasn't an infection because I just finished antibiotics and didn't have urgency or fever etc. I then stumbled upon kidney stones in my search. Ugh! Now what?!

Well I sat there in pain and crying because of it. Nick comes home and finds me a mess. lol. He is so amazing and was so sweet. He reassured me everything was okay. I got myself together the best I could and headed into work, painfully. I have been training a new hire and didn't want to disappoint and not be able to work. I'm stubborn. I got to work and didn't last a couple minutes before I had to tell my charge nurse what was happening. She was really awesome and sent me straight to ER where they were expecting me and got me in quick. I guess its one perk of working at a hospital. I must say everyone was little panicked because they heard "ICU nurse.....5 months pregnant.....bleeding..." We don't have L&D at our hospital. Well I reassured them it's blood in urine not anywhere else!

I got set up in the room. Refused the gown at first...thought I'd be in and out quick. Got 2 male nurses. ha. Lovely. They were great though. The Dr. came and talked to me and he was thinking maybe a kidney infection. I brought up..."what about kidney stones??" and he said "well maybe but I don't think so, but we'll do a renal ultrasound and see." Being pregnant, there's not much they can do, no CT and no x-ray. Then he also said, I'd need a Foley catheter to irrigate all the blood out of my bladder. BOOOOO! Big time boooo!!! Thankfully Nick came down to be with me when I knew I wouldn't be in and out of there.

I finally put the gown on, got an IV, had blood drawn and got the lovely foley. Thankfully done by one of the female nurses. That was sooooo uncomfortable and made the pain worst! Got the renal ultrasound and got to see the baby!!! Oh that made me forget about my pain!!! That was the best part to see him happy and moving. Knowing he was alright, I knew I'd be okay and any pain was worth it.

Well Dr. said it was in fact kidney stones. MULTIPLE kidney stones. Aww it reminds of the Friends episode....love it!



They are small enough that they will pass on their own, but there are a lot of them. He said basically there is an avalanche of stones. There are some high up in my kidney and others in my bladder. They just need to all come down. Ouch!!!!! An avalanche of kidney stones. Sounds like torture! Then there's the fact that there isn't much you can do for them. They well come out when they are ready. Just flush with fluids and pain control. He said I could be admitted for pain control and I definitely didn't want to stay overnight. I'd rather be home. So I got a prescription for Tylenol #3, bladder irrigated and urologist referral.

My co-workers were so great! They came and said hi. My shift was covered and I had nothing to worry about. All in all we were there for 4 hours. Not too bad. I was happy to be home and so thankful to have an awesome husband alongside.

So now I wait...Wait for these little tortures of stone to come out! I have read that women may have dormant kidney stones that become a problem while pregnant. Great. I'm just glad I don't need any invasive intervention. Well I'll keep you updated! Hoping to be pain free soon!!! I'm sorry for this long drawn out story. Here's a pic....Nick wanted to take it and said I better blog about it.

20 weeks

How far along: 20 weeks 5 days
Total Weight Gain: Gained now...not sharing the details :)
Stretchmarks: None...hoping it stays that way.
Sleep: Sleep has not been very fun. I can not get comfortable. I try not to sleep on my back, but I can't help it. I am going to get a body pillow very soon! I can't wait for summer to be over! Working nights and sleeping during the day is really making me miss much needed sleep with the heat keeping me up.
Best Moment This Week: Feeling stronger kicks!
Movement: I started to feel more noticeable kicks this week. Not going to lie, it's a weird feeling at first that takes me by surprise every time! I can't wait for them to be felt on the outside.
Gender: We are having a son....baby boy!!!
Labor Signs: Too early for that!
Belly Button: Still in. It's widening. Took the belly button ring out. It was time.
What I Miss: I miss wine and that will be a given for the remainder of the pregnancy. I also miss whitening my teeth. Fortunately I'm not drinking coffee or wine to really need to do it.
What I am Looking Forward to: Feeling the kicks from the outside so Nick can feel them.
Milestones: Baby is the size of a banana? Interesting. Baby is about 7 inches long and 10-12 ounces. I am starting to look more pregnant and not fat. Yay....finally.

Updated bump pic taken yesterday.