A (very unwanted) triage visit

Monday morning when I woke up my back hurt. It wasn't like a pulled muscle sort of hurt but more of a crampy hurt (I know my body really well and I'm good at telling the difference between pains). I figured I had slept on it wrong and just went about with my day. When I got up on Tuesday my back hurt even more. As the day progressed the pain got worse and worse. It felt like menstrual cramps in my back, ranging from 4-6 on the 1-10 pain scale. My stomach also felt tight and something just felt "off". I can't explain it but something felt like it wasn't right. I had a weird dizzy and nausea spell Monday evening, too, which was out of the ordinary. I'm honestly not one to complain about pain but my back cramps were pretty bad so I told my mom who advised me to call my doctor's office. Since it was outside of regular office hours I had to wait for the on-call doctor to call me back. When she did, she told me to come right to the labor and delivery triage unit, AKA the pregnancy emergency room. I hung up and just started crying. I had just finished making dinner but I didn't even eat, my mom and I left right away. I seriously cried the whole way there. I was SO SCARED that something was wrong with Camden... that I did something to hurt him... I texted Jake like half a million times trying to wake him up and he called me right away. It was very comforting to hear his voice and his calm reassurance that everything would be okay but I was still scared. And I felt bad for waking him up in the middle of his night of sleep, poor guy. We got to triage and they took me in right away. They had me give a urine sample and got me hooked up to a monitor while I waited for the doctor. The doctor took a couple other samples and checked my cervix then got paged and had to go. I sat there for 2-3 hours hooked up to the monitor, waiting for the doctor to come back again. It took a few minutes to find Camden's heartbeat at first. Those felt like the longest few minutes of my life. But the nurse found it and it was strong! Thank God! He hadn't been very active all day, which also had me concerned, but he started kicking and moving once the monitor was on. I think he could sense my stress or something. It was almost like he was trying to kick the monitor off my stomach because he kept kicking all around it! It was actually pretty funny. And it was cool to feel him moving and hear the funny noises his movements made on the monitor. They also monitored my uterine pressure to see if I was having contractions. Luckily I wasn't having contractions and my cervix was still closed so that was a relief. Both good signs. As much as the whole experience was scary, I'm glad that I went to triage. It's better to be safe than sorry. And it was nice to listen to Camden's heartbeat for so long! That was very comforting to me. Once the doctor finally came back, everything still looked good and she told me I wasn't having preterm labor. She didn't say what was going on or what might have caused my pain but she didn't seem too concerned about it so that put me at ease. The nurse gave me an information sheet on preterm labor and told me that I had the first three signs so it was good that I had called and gone in to be seen. She said that if my pain changed or got worse or if anything else on that list happened to call back again. A lot of people have told me that dehydration can cause preterm labor but I know for sure that wasn't the case for me. I drink 70-90oz of water a day and the nurse even commented on how hydrated I was based on the fact that my urine sample was clear, haha (TMI? Sorry!). I've also heard that strenuous activity can bring on contractions but I only do prenatal workouts. I make sure that every workout I do is safe for my little man. And if I don't push myself too hard. I'm extremely in-tune with my body so I'm confident that I'm taking good care of myself. Bottom line: this was a very scary experience but Camden and I are both okay! My back still hurts today but it's much better than yesterday. It's weird because it doesn't feel like a muscle thing or a strain from my tummy growing... I know that back pain is common in pregnancy but mine just came out of nowhere all of a sudden! I hadn't had any back pain before this, and that's why it was a cause for concern. And it was in my lower back. Those are bad signs usually. I'm just thankful that everything turned out okay and Camden is good! I can deal with the pain as long as I know that my baby is okay. So now we're taking it easy (even though I really want to workout, haha) and waiting for the pain to go away completely. For now, I'll ease it with some heat and extra sleep. Thank you all for the concern and prayers! I'll update if anything else happens. But for now, I leave you with these extremely flattering pictures of me while I was in triage, haha:

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 weeks & 1 day! 

How big is baby estimated to be? He is the size of a cauliflower or an eggplant. He should be around 2 pounds now! :D

Total weight gain: I think I'm around 136lbs now, so that would put me +12lbs. Luckily, I think I'm carrying it all in my tummy. I feel really healthy and I'm staying active so I feel good about my weight. It's still weird to watch the scale go up but I'm not having an issue with it. My body feels good. And I do love watching Camden grow! 

Symptoms this week: I have a little sciatica going on in my left side (lower back/hip area) but it isn't anything terrible. Camden has been sitting really low so I think he's just pinching something a bit. It isn't constant and I'm learning how to move so it doesn't hurt as bad. Other than that, I'm feeling good! Getting bigger and bigger but it honestly isn't as uncomfortable as I thought it would be! I think the fact that I was literally in the best shape of my life when I got pregnant is making everything so much easier! I have yet to get lower back pain, unless I'm leaning down doing something for awhile (like yesterday while I was cutting out 6 dozen sugar cookies, haha). And even that pain is really mild and goes away after I stretch a little. So far, nothing is bothering me much at all! I've been doing really good eating healthy, drinking tons and tons of water and working out regularly. I think all of those things are helping me a lot. Especially staying active. I feel SO GOOD keeping up with my workouts! I wish I had the energy and drive to be working out for 1-1.5 hours 6 days a week like I was before I got pregnant but I'm doing as much as I can! I aim for 40 minutes to an hour of exercise 4-5 days a week. Plus extra stretching when my body feels like it needs it. It really does make a difference! And everyone keeps telling me that I should "bounce back" really fast after I have the baby because of how active I have been/am. I hope that's true! 

Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week. I'm loving decaf skinny peppermint mochas from Starbucks but I have always been a huge fan of their seasonal drinks! They're like Christmas in a cup :D  I'm also still loving fruits and veggies! I could eat roasted broccoli with garlic everyday. Like, a massive amount of it. And pomegranates! I wish it wasn't such a pain to get the arils out... but it's so worth it! I love me some pomegranate arils. 

Food aversions: Nothing! 

Any movement from baby? Ohhh yeah!! Little man is a mover and a shaker!! He has been wiggling and kicking SO MUCH this week! I love just putting my hands on my tummy and feeling him move. I could seriously do that all day! I LOVE IT!! He was kicking me low in my tummy the other day and it almost tickled! It was the funniest feeling ever. I really can't say enough how much I really love feeling Camden move! It's so amazing to me!! :D I'm still finding that he's more active when I'm active. He likes when I workout. That makes me feel good, too. I love that me working out is doing something good for both of us! I already love to workout but that is just the best bonus! I like to imagine me making Camden's heart get stronger and stronger each time I workout. How awesome is it that I can make him healthier by keeping myself healthy?! It just makes me happy. 

Gender: Beautiful baby boy <3

Emotions and experiences this week: It was a bittersweet week for me, to be honest. Thanksgiving was a really nice day with my family! I got to watch the entire Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, which was great. The meal was fabulous, per usual. I made a delicious green bean casserole that was a big hit. And I made pumpkin muffins to eat for breakfast. It was a nice day. I just missed Jacob a lot. This would've been our 5th Thanksgiving together. It was sad not to have him here to celebrate with... But I'm still so incredibly thankful for him! He's been working so hard on this deployment and I really appreciate that he's such an awesome provider for me and CJ. Plus, he's always there for me. Communication is difficult with the distance and the time difference but I know that I can always rely on him. I'm also SO very thankful for this little bundle of joy growing in my tummy!! I feel very blessed, despite the challenging circumstances this year. It was a really good week, overall. I also got to do some shopping with my mom! That was a fun part of this week. With the holidays now in full swing, I'm enjoying the festive atmosphere but really missing Jake. This whole going through the holidays without him thing might be a little harder than I was anticipating. But I'm seriously trying to stay busy and keep a positive outlook. 

Looking forward to: Ummm... November ending! I'll be happy to put another month behind us and move into December. It's weird because I want to savor every moment of my pregnancy yet I want time to go by super fast so that Jacob can come home. I'm a little torn. It's tough. I am looking forward to Christmas, though! I'm having a lot of fun putting together Christmas-themed care packages for Jacob! I sent him a box today stuffed full of Christmas goodies to share with his buddies at work- 10.5lbs worth! Sending him boxes is the one thing about deployments that doesn't totally suck. I have an OB appointment next week but I'm not looking forward to that. I'll have my glucose test for gestational diabetes that day- yuckaroo. I hate needles so I'm dreading that blood draw! Then I have to get my rhogam shot. It should be a very fun visit :P or not. But at least I don't have to worry about that until next Friday. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to just getting through a day at a time and enjoying all the festive Christmasy stuff that's going on. 

24 Weeks

I love this view looking down at my bump!!

 How far along? 24 weeks & 2 days! 

How big is baby estimated to be? The size of an ear of corn! Or a cantaloupe. Either way, baby boy is getting big! :D

Total weight gain: I haven't gained any since last week, so still around 10-11lbs up. I weighed in at 133/134 the past two mornings so I guess my weight is just holding steady at that 9-11lbs gained mark.

Wearing maternity clothes? Just pants and leggings. I was basically a bum all last week and wore sweats or leggings everyday. I didn't have anywhere to go, really, so why not? I'm especially loving Jacob's big plush robe lately! Mine still fits and everything... his is just warmer and bigger. I think it's going to be my number one around the house accessory this winter, haha.

Symptoms this week: Uhh, nothing I can think of, honestly! I feel fabulous!! I think working out consistently, eating healthy and drinking tons of water is really doing my body good! I feel strong and healthy! I mean obviously there are some minor discomforts here and there- little tweaks when Camden hits a nerve, minor indigestion from time-to-time, peeing a lot, waking up at 4am everyday- but it's nothing bad enough to complain about. The good definitely outweighs the bad!

Food cravings: None this week... Although I am getting very excited for turkey and all the fixins! :D

Food aversions: None.

Any movement from baby? Tons and tons!! I feel like CJ is becoming more active everyday! And I love it! I still feel like he's more active when I workout. Sometimes he's all wiggly while I'm working out, which is kind of funny. Then after I workout it's like he wants to get his workout in, haha. Since I tend to workout in the evenings, I get to fall asleep feeling him move around. It's comforting, in a way :] And I'm trying to soak it all up now because I know that I'll miss feeling him move around in my tummy once he's born! I was finally able to capture a couple videos of Camden kicking to send Jacob!! It took a very very long time and lots of begging little man to kick, haha. It's a little hard to see in the videos but I was excited to send them to Jake! And I think he was excited to see them :D But it was bittersweet at the same time. We both wish he could be here to experience all of this with me... but we're trying to stay positive and I'm trying to share as much with him as I can.

Gender: Beautiful baby boy <3

Emotions and experiences this week: This week was very relaxing and enjoyable for me! I had so much fun going away to New Hampshire with my mom for the weekend! I met some really nice ladies and got quite a few pages completed in my wedding scrapbook. It was so laid back. I was able to just enjoy the whole weekend taking it easy. My energy level has been pretty high, which I appreciate, haha. I've been able to workout more and do some things around the house. I'm feeling really good. And despite my circumstances (with Jake being deployed for the holidays), I feel so incredible blessed and thankful this year! Lately I've been thinking about all the things I have to be thankful for and it's really humbling. Most of all, I am VERY thankful for Jacob. He is the most amazing man I have ever met in my life and I am SO blessed that he is my husband! He has been working so hard on this deployment and he doesn't complain about it. He's an incredible provider and I just can't thank him enough for that. Also, I'm thankful for the incredible blessing of Camden that wouldn't be possible without Jacob! I'm so excited to be a little family together once Jake comes home! It's going to be so amazing. And I am thankful for my family and friends who have rallied behind me and offered their support, prayers and encouragement over the past couple months since Jacob left. It's true that you really find out who your true friends are when times get tough. I'm thankful for all of the support I've received from the people closest to me.  

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving on Thursdayyyy!! And then Black Friday shopping on Friday!! Then decorating for Christmas!! I wish I had my own place to decorate but I'm still very excited to thoroughly decorate my parent's house! Gahh, I love Christmas!! I'm also looking forward to sending more Christmas boxes to Jacob! I sent his first two this week and I had SO MUCH FUN putting them together! I'm going to spend all day on Sunday baking tons of goodies for Jake and the guys he works with! I have one box set to go, minus the cookies :D The second box will just be stuffed with other treats and some special things for Jacob. Gosh, these boxes are the only thing that makes deployments tolerable! Other than all of that fun... I'm looking forward to setting up Camden's little nook in mine & Jacob's room. Since he won't have his own room in my parent's house he'll be co-rooming with us... I think it'll be perfect, though. I got a little closet set that my dad is going to help me put up. Then I can spend some time organizing all of CJ's clothes. I won't wash them until it's closer to his due date but I want to sort them all out to see what we have. I also have some fun ideas for decorating his little area a bit, which will be fun.

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 weeks & 3 days! 

How big is baby estimated to be? The size of a grapefruit! About 8 1/2 inches crown to rump and around a pound and a half!

Total weight gain: Up to about 135lbs. Eeek. I've broken the 10lbs gained mark and am up by about 11lbs so far. That sounds like so much! :/ But I'm eating healthy and exercising a lot so I'm still feeling good! It's weird to keep following my healthy habits but see the scale go up. I feel really healthy, though, so I guess that's what matters most! As long as CJ and I are healthy :]

Wearing maternity clothes? Yep! Mostly still leggings but occasionally maternity jeans... I feel like I'm still in a bit of a weird in-between phase... My maternity jeans don't stay up too well because my belly is still pretty small... It's getting a little cold to wear leggings everyday... And all my regular shirts still fit. Weird phase. I did use the hair tie trick to make my regular jeans fit last week, though! That was nice, haha. I guess I just need to be a little more creative for now... Or I can be a bum and wear sweatpants/yoga pants/leggings/hubby's clothes everyday. Yeah, that's more like it ;]

Symptoms this week: Nothing too bad this week! Some mild achey pains in my stomach but that's to be expected as I grow. Camden was laying right on my bladder all day on Monday so I had to pee nonstop, haha. That was interesting! On a positive note- I've gotten rid of my stuffy nose plague by running a humidifier in my room all the time! That has helped tremendously! I should've replaced my filter sooner so that I could use the humidifier again! I'm glad I finally did that. I have been feeling a little more tired this past week. Maybe it's a growth spurt. Or the fact that I've been working out A LOT and it makes me tired... I'm not exhausted all the time like I was in my first trimester- I definitely have more energy than that. I just find that I am SO ready to crash at the end of the day. And I sleep like a rock. All-in-all, I feel fabulous and really can't complain! 

Food cravings: I want a pomegranate SO BAD right now!!! I'll definitely be picking some up at the grocery store today! Other than that, still lots of fruit in general. Nothing else really strong. At least not that my pregnancy brain will let me recall at the moment ;]

Food aversions: Nada. Yay! 

Any movement from baby? Ohhhh yes!! And I seriously LOVE every second!!!! I will NEVER get sick of feeling Camden move! He's been so active! Both of my parents have felt him kick :D I love holding my tummy and feeling him kick and jab and wiggle all around. It's so amazing!! It makes me smile so big. He was moving so much last night- I watched my tummy and saw a few little jabs! I didn't think his movements would really be visible from the outside yet even though they can be felt... It was really cool to see! I love that babyboy is getting bigger and more active!

Gender: Beautiful baby boy <3

Emotions and experiences this week: It's been a pretty good week... I had an OB appointment last Friday and that was nice! Nothing exciting, just a routine visit. But I did get to hear and record Camden's heartbeat so that was nice! I also found out that I'll have my glucose screening test at my next appointment (early December). Yuck! I'm really not looking forward to that! I hate getting blood drawn! And it sucks that Jake can't be there for me this time! He was so great last time... Bahh, I know it won't be that bad but I'm just not looking forward to it. Oh well. I'll be crossing my fingers for good results so that I can indulge in some Christmas goodies, hehe. Umm, other than that... I can't think of anything exciting to report! Just lots of movement from CamJam. And my belly is growing a lot, which I love. And it doesn't feel uncomfortable yet. I don't feel like I'm being stretched out or anything like that... I think keeping my skin extremely well moisturized has helped a lot! That and I've been gaining weight slow but steady. I've read that both of those things can help with the stretching. Oh, and working out! That's helping, too. And I think Camden likes it when I workout! He always seems to be extra wiggly after a workout, haha.

Looking forward to: Scrapbooking this weekend!I haven't been to NH in awhile and I'm excited to get away for a weekend! I think it's going to be a lot of fun! And of course I'm still looking forward to the holidays! It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week!! Craziness. I think my mom and I are going to go Black Friday shopping for the first time ever so that should be interesting, haha. I'm very excited to send Jacob a myriad of Christmas care packages!! I already have the first one in the works so I can send it next week so he'll get it the following week. I have a ton of fun ideas for Christmas-themed boxes for him and for the guys he works with. I also have a fabulous New Years care package idea! So this next month or so is going to be filled with fun putting together holiday care packages! Eeeee, I just love the holidays!

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 weeks & 2 days! 

How big is baby estimated to be? The size of a spaghetti squash or a papaya! Definitely a pound by now, maybe even  little more!

Total weight gain: About 9lbs. I'm somewhere around 133/133.5lbs. Soon to break that ten pound mark- eeek!

Wearing maternity clothes? Yep. Still trying to get away with my amazing Gap maternity leggings even though the weather is getting colder. I have been wearing my maternity jeans more though too. I like to be comfortable :] Still wearing all my regular shirts/sweaters/hoodies!

Symptoms this week: I had some pretty bad indigestion again this week! Very uncomfortable. I also aggravated a muscle or something in my stomach from working out... I think I just pushed myself a little too much. I wasn't in pain while I was working out but after I was done I got a very sharp pain in my lower stomach. It hurt to walk. I was a little scared at first! I was worried that I did something bad to baby... Luckily, I rested- put my legs up- and felt better the next day. The pain wasn't fully gone for a couple days but when I woke up the next morning I could tell it was a muscle thing so I wasn't as worried. I guess I just need to be a little more careful with working out! As far as other symptoms, I'm still getting stuffy noses and some leg cramps. Oh and I wake up a lot throughout the night. I usually fall right back asleep but I wake up and toss and turn a lot. Feeling good, though!

Food cravings: Scallops!! I was craving big, melt-in-your-mouth sea scallops this week! I'm a huge fan of seafood to begin with but this was such a strong craving. Luckily, last time I saw my OB I asked if I could eat scallops since I'm not supposed to eat shellfish (except lobster and crab) and scallops come from a shell. She said that they're fine to eat while pregnant- yay! I seared them up in a hot pan with some olive oil and put them over wilted spinach. Oh my gosh, one of the best meals I've ever made!! It was phenomenal! And it totally hit the spot! I was also craving red velvet cake this week. Weird, considering I've probably only had red velvet cake once in my life, haha. I tried to hold out but I ended up giving into the craving. I did make the cake in a healthy way, though! A box mix + 12oz of club soda. That cuts about 100 calories per serving and makes a single cupcake pretty guilt free. I made frosting for them using a mix of reduced-fat and fat-free cream cheese, fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt, powdered sugar and powdered vanilla. YUM. Aside from those two particular cravings, I'm still loving Cheerios and I cannot get enough fruit lately. I'm so glad that pomegranates are in season because they are one of my favorites!

Food aversions: Nothing! :]

Any movement from baby? Tons!!! This little guy LOVES to be active!! I think he's going to be a busy little baby! It would make sense, though. Jake and I are both active people. Maybe little CJ will become a workout-aholic like his mommy, haha. I felt a kick from outside of my tummy for the first time this week!!! I've been feeling him move like crazy lately and I've been trying to figure out if it can be felt on the outside yet; but itt seems like he stops kicking almost every time I put my hands on my tummy. The other night I was just watching TV and holding my tummy and "bonk!" I felt a kick!! It was so incredibly awesome!! I could hardly believe it! Since then I've been putting my hands on my stomach whenever he's wiggling around and I've felt a bunch more kicks! He was being very active yesterday morning and I could feel him kicking all over the place!! Gosh, I love it so so much! What an amazing feeling!! I just REALLY wish that Jacob could be here to experience this, too. It makes me sad that he'll never feel Camden's kicks like this.

Gender: Boy! 

Emotions and experiences this week: I've been feeling pretty content this week. Of course I still miss my husband like crazycrazycrazy! I can't even put it into words I miss him so much. But, for the most part, my emotions have been pretty stable. I've had some crazy hormone flare ups that just make me want to cry because Jacob is missing out on so much... I'm trying really hard to stay positive, though. I'm enjoying watching Camden grow and feeling his amazing little kicks! It's just hard not to be a little sad at the same time because Jake doesn't get to experience all of this with me. Oh, I had an awesome dream about Camden this week! I dreamt that I was in labor and it all went so quickly... and Jacob was there! It was such a good dream! Camden was so little and perfect- he had adorable chubby cheeks and a bunch of fuzzy brown hair. Ahhhh, so cool!! I can't wait to see what he's going to look like! I mean, I can wait because I have so much to figure out before then (insurance, pediatrician, etc.) and I know I'll miss being pregnant and all the special moments that entails... but I'm so excited to meet CJ! And to be a little family!

Looking forward to: Scrapbooking next weekend! It's going to be fun to get away and work on my wedding album for awhile. I need to get that finished so that I can start a baby scrapbook! I'm also looking forward to my OB appointment on Friday. Nothing exciting is happening at it but I will get to hear the heartbeat which is exciting enough for me! I like my OB appointments. Other than those two things, I'm still looking forward to the holidays! I love holidays.

Nursery things

I am having so much fun putting together things for Camden's nursery!! Granted, little man won't actually have a nursery until Jacob comes home and we move (there's no spare room for us to take over in my parents house where I'm living now, so CJ will be rooming with us until we move). But eventually he will have his own room and I WILL deck it out all sorts of adorable! Jacob and I decided on the crib bedding we wanted before we even knew we were pregnant, haha. Yeah, we were a little excited about the possibility of a baby and figured a lot of things out before be we got pregnant. I decided to buy said bedding this week while it was on sale at Babies R Us. I was a little hesitant but I really didn't want it to get discontinued or anything. The Fisher Price rock 'n play, bouncer and swing set we wanted got put on clearance and discontinued at Target this summer. Luckily, we spotted the sale and picked each item up before Target stopped carrying them. I was nervous that the same thing would happen with this crib bedding.  So, when I saw it on sale I figured now was a good time to just go ahead and buy it. Jake felt the same way, so now we have CJ's crib bedding! Here's a picture of it from Babies R Us' website:

And my Instagram picture of the bedding after I bought it, hehe:

The same day I picked up CJ's crib bedding I bought wooden letters (spelling his name) to decorate. I was super excited to make something special for babyboy! I thought it would be a fun little project to keep me busy. I was exactly right! I had tons of fun decorating Camden's letters and I love how they turned out!! They match perfectly with his bedding! I can't wait to see how all of this looks all put together! :D

Top is before; middle is painted; bottom is complete

How cute is all of this?! I love it!! Camden is going to have such a cute nursery (someday, haha). I love all of this decorating stuff!! I love thinking about having Camden here to enjoy all of these baby things!! It's all just SO much fun!