Life and Pregnancy Update

Hey there everyone! Once again, it's Kendall and Bean here! I know, it seems like it's been months since I posted or updated you on anything in the world of Vogts, and it kind of has. I did a very sneaky blog post last month. I was going through a little bit of a rough patch, mentally. If you care to look back, and you can find it, go ahead and check it out!

Otherwise, here is a little taste of what has been going on lately. Bean and I will be 35 weeks along on Tuesday. We have been gearing up and preparing the best we can for school, especially the six weeks that I will be taking off for maternity leave. About that... I have been asked several times, "How many days are you given?" And my reply has been, "Given?... Given?!... Given?!? " Where do I sign up to be given anything. As a teacher, at least in my district, I use any, and in my case, almost ALL of my sick and personal days to make up the six weeks that I will spend at home recovering and caring for my brand new baby. And before I get all kinds of worked up, let's move on! 

It's crazy to think that in about five weeks, Todd and I will have a sweet baby! I know she still needs to bake for a while longer, but I am so ready to have her here with me. Todd and I are both extremely excited, but we still have quite a bit to get done before she joins us. I asked Toddles what he thought of Bean's arrival being only five weeks away, and his reply was a smirk and the word, "terrifying." So... needless to say, we're getting ready!

Almost two weeks ago, I, like MANY other expecting mothers, (or so I'm told) had  a little freak out. I had a couple days where I didn't think I was feeling Bean move as much as she had been, and I felt like any actual movements I was feeling were extremely soft compared to normal. I spent two days crying, complaining, moping around the house, and listening to Todd tell me to call the doctor. After texting my sisters, and more prodding from Todd, I made the call. My doctor wasn't extremely concerned. I wasn't experiencing any bleeding, or what I guess I would consider the "scary" signs, but she had be come in to get checked out anyway. The mother of one of my students last year took great care of me. I was given a no stress test, which showed that Bean was doing just fine, and I got a very quick sonogram. They were checking for a strong heart rate, a good amount of amniotic fluid, lots of movement in her hands and legs, and to see if she was breathing. We were told she got extra points for that. There she was practicing her breathing and we were amazed to see her chest and belly rise and fall. She was moving her legs around, and we saw her little feet and hands. 

From middle of my second trimester, to where I am currently at (and I don't see anything changing) I have become even more in tune with my relationship with my Heavenly Father. On my daily walks, I find myself in conversation with him, and I am just completely in awe of how He has blessed Todd and I. I find myself telling Him how he blows my mind. How completely in awe of Him and His creation I am. It seemed as though every tiny thing I was praying about on my morning walks, He was showing me on the sonogram screen that day. Jesus cares for us. He is in the business of answering prayer. He is the ultimate creator, and He cares about (what seem to us like) the tiniest things. Needless to say, Bean is doing wonderfully. We didn't really get to see her face on the sonogram, but were were reassured that she's still a girl, and that she has hair. If you know me, you know that even that's something I pray about. This mama cried when she heard that.

On August 7th, at a day before 36 weeks, Todd and I will go in for one last sonogram. Doctor just wants to make sure that Bean is still head down, and see that everything is still going smoothly. I was told that at that appointment, we will get a guess as to how big she is/ how big she could be! I am selfishly hoping that we'll get to see her face! 

Also coming up at 36 weeks, I will be switching my blood thinners. Currently I am on a dose that lasts for 24 hours. I will be changing to a dose that lasts about 12 hours. So instead of giving myself one daily injection, I will be giving myself two. Clearly they wear off faster, which is better for when I go into labor, and they says it's easier to reverse and return my blood to normal, if need be. Once I have given birth, four to eight hours (depending how Bean arrives) I will start up the 24 hour injections again, for about six more weeks. 

And now for your favorite segment, "What's Going on with Kendall's Body?" Known to others as, "I'm going to stop reading because Kendall overshares" time. **Cue theme music! So, for the last few weeks, I've been experiencing rib and back pain on my right side, while sleeping. I stuff pillows all around me for support, but it seems like, if I lay in the same position too long, if I want to sleep longer than eight hours, or if my bladder gets too full, my ribs and back ache very badly. Luckily I am not experiencing this horrible pregnancy Insomnia I've heard horror stories about, and I'm able to get back to sleep after I use the restroom, so I won't complain about the aches and pains too loudly.

Speaking of going to the restroom, I am getting up three to four times a night to pee. Every two hours or so, I get up and shuffle to the bathroom with the feeling as though my bladder is about to explode, like as soon as I sit down, the whole thing will burst, just like if you were to pop a water balloon with a needle. (Quite the visual, huh?!) Only wait, it get's better, my bladder doesn't burst. Instead, I can't release any pee. For quite a few nights I as worried, and upset by this. I was sitting on the toilet forever! And then, in my trials, I found a method that relieves my aching bladder. Todd and I like to refer to it as "Pumping the Well" and it works like this. I lean/ fold forward as far as I can, and then I lean back as far as I can. And on the lean back, my bladder releases! And then it's forward, and back with the release. Sometimes I do this for the length of my bathroom trip, other times it releases enough that my bladder is able to relax and do its thing. I know what you're thinking, "Does your doctor know about this?" Yes, she does, and I've been checked out. Everything is fine. I am just blessed, I guess.

And some final quick updates. I think I overshared with you a while back that I have lovely stretchmarks around my boobs. Well, I have some lovely stretchmarks around my bellybutton to match. They make me think of squiggly rays coming off of a cartoon sun. Yes I am lotioning, we'll see how it all plays out. Todd and I are almost done with the nursery. We have just a few things left to get into place. Once done, I'll show pictures! Todd and I just got back from our "Babymoon", which I am referring to as our "Molinamoon". We went to St. Louis and watched our Cardinals play a couple games. Lastly, as of late, I have turned into a germophobe. Here are my most recent thoughts on that: Give me all of the soap and hand sanitizer. Let's not touch anything! Why do bathrooms have hand blow driers? I am wearing shoes around every inch of our hotel room. I must inspect everything before touching or sitting! Todd, don't touch that trash can!

I know it was a long one, friends. Thanks for sticking it out and reading Bean and I's latest goings on! I hope to have an update for you after our sonogram on the 7th!