a little bit of Brady | 31 weeks

31 weeks.
first things first- this belly is LEGIT.  I’m carrying him SO much different than I did the twins and Baker.  I carried Baker lower than I carried the twins because I wasn’t really working out prior to that pregnancy and whatever abdominal muscles I did have weren’t much use after a twin belly + bed rest to hold her up as high as I could have.  I thought for sure this pregnancy would be different since I had been doing bootcamp both before and after getting pregnant with Brady but those hopes were a complete waste of thought.  tops and tees I wore my entire pregnancy with Baker cannot even be forced over half of my belly now at 31 weeks.  
c’est la vie
that being said, I have discovered that I am most comfortable in midi dresses and sneakers.. the weather has been so random and hitting upwards of 70 degrees here in Dallas, so I’ve been able to get away with this kind of comfort wear in.. January.
and if I am at home its rare you’ll catch me in anything else far from my pink blush pajama pants and a pure body tee from Gap.  
we went for my 31 week check up with my OB yesterday.  Baker tagged along while the twins were at preschool and she was just the cutest little thing while we watched baby brother dance on the sonogram screen.  her little surprised face when Brady’s heartbeat came loud of over monitor at 170bpm.  she has no idea the changes that are about to happen in the short weeks to come, but she sure was proud to tote around that sonogram picture of her little brother for the rest of the day.
Brady update 
our little man is growing perfectly- and for the first time he’s literally right on track for gestational age.  he’s been measuring at least a week or two ahead from the very get go, and yesterday I was 32 weeks and 2 days and he’s measuring 32 weeks and 3 days.
four whole pounds of baby boy in this belly- with perfect little lips and button nose, and HOLY cheeks!!  he also wouldn’t keep his hands out of his mouth.
I just cannot WAIT to meet him!!  
after swooning over his little face long enough (but its never long enough, am I right??) the sonographer got down to business in checking out all the important things.. good news is that the fluid around Brady’s right kidney has completely resolved itself, but the not so great news is that the fluid around his left kidney has significantly increased since the last time we checked him out.  he’s laying on his left side and she kept having trouble getting a good look at the kidney because of the shadows of his ribs kept showing up on the sono.. but from the measurements she got it jumped up in size a lot.  SO- that means we are going back to our perinatologist next week to hopefully get a better look and idea of how that kidney is actually doing and if the measurements were just off because of how he’s positioned.  if that kidney truly is compromised, which we hope and pray it isn’t, he might be making his debut a couple weeks early. 
again, with all the unknown about this, its all a little overwhelming to think about.  we have had our fair share of high risk “complications” and taken the proper precautions with pregnancies before and our girls have all been born perfectly fine and healthy, but the waiting game kills me on all this. 
 striped midi-dress (non maternity) similar // cardigan (similar)
mama update 
well.  apparently I’m really sick. I’ve been battling cough and congestion for about a week now and chalked it up to allergies and after being scolded by my OB and repeated “I told you so” from Jordan.. I was diagnosed with bronchitis.  Walsh could hear me two rooms down hacking up a lung while waiting my turn to be seen and the first thing she did when she walked in the room was listen to my chest and lungs and made me promise to stay in bed for the next two days.
“you look like death on a platter, girl. go to bed.”
other things.. the polyhydramnios has remained stable!  my fluid levels haven’t changed much, yet again, which is a relief.  I could tell by the way I’ve been feeling the last week or so that I was less tight and more comfortable while sitting, standing, laying..  a couple weeks ago I didn’t even feel like I could bend over or eat much more than toast or cereal at meal times.. and when sitting or laying I felt like I was suffocating because of the weight.  BUT thankfully that has resolved, more or less.  I’m still measuring about a month ahead, but no where near like I was.  
since taking those steroids at 29 weeks to encourage Brady’s lung development in case he does happen to come earlier than planned, the braxton hicks have been NONSTOP.  she did say that this would be a side effect of the steroids, and so she prescribed me procardia to take twice a day. I took procardia in my pregnancy with the twins when I went into preterm labor and was placed on bed rest, so I know the drill. 
no bed rest at this point because all looks well with that, but just to be safe and keep those contractions at bay for these remaining weeks this is the plan.
so.  this is basically my life right now.
ridiculous.  but feeling better and sleeping better AND keeping Brady put for at least 8 more weeks is on the immediate agenda.
for now, I’m soaking up these moments with my girls before this baby boy comes.  Baker has all the sudden become SO BIG and I can’t hardly stand it. 
Parker and Jolie ask every single day when its time for baby brother to come out.  
thinking about Brady being my last baby is by far the most emotional part about all of this. I love being a mom.  I love carrying a baby.  I love the newborn stage, even when I’m running on coffee and 2 hours of sleep.  I love to watch my older kids grow and bond and accept the new addition.  thinking that this will be my last time to do all that over again is hard.  
hard.hard.hard.
but Brady boy, you are already SO loved and we are over the moon to add you into this mix of crazy.
pajama pants c/o (similar) // maternity basic tee 
maternity long sleeve henley // polka dot pajama pants c/o (similar)

January 25, 2017

  1. Lavakels says:

    Those were my exact thoughts with my last pregnancy, it's hard with each milestone reached to know that it's my last….I can't bring myself to throw away the bottles even though my youngest has been done for a couple weeks.

    Prayers that all ends up well with Brady's kidneys!

  2. I already think about how hard it will be when it's time for our last baby. (though hoping we'll have two more) 🙂 I can't imagine how emotional! andddd that terry dress! love!

  3. 6friarys.com says:

    Prayers for Brady's kidneys!!
    I had my 4th baby at 31 (4th girl) and was surprised 6 years later with my son. I thought for sure we were done too. Fingers crossed for another surprise. LOL Last baby blues are the toughest!!!